Mortal Bonds
by Lady Black Mage
Summary: Lion-O and company begin to make new friends, finding other cats along their journey...but an ominous sign reveals they'll be betrayed to their worst enemy by one of their own. WARNING: OC use, OCxCanon, swearing, etc. [Story is on indefinite hiatus until muse returns.]
1. Prologue

A/N: I don't own the 2011 Thundercats series; credit for that goes to Warner Bros. I do warn you there will be use of OCs in this story (I'll give credit for each of those where it's due,) so if you don't like the use of OCs, then you're probably better off not reading this. Anyone else, please feel free to R&R!

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><p><span>Prologue<span>

The tip of the blade scratched against the stone floor, a horrible grating sound that did nothing for his nerves as he backstepped wildly. He'd known they would ambush them; Panthro had feared as much and been rather vocal about it. But none of them had been expecting this. His heart pounded wildly, and he snapped his wrist up, bringing the Sword of Omens up at an angle, to better block a second barrage of swings.

But it never came.

She stopped, watching him quietly. She'd stepped back after her quick assault, deepening the distance between them once more, her eyes boring coldly into his.

"…Why?" he asked, his voice breaking. But she said nothing, continuing to simply watch and wait. All around them, the squadron of lizards had formed a ring, watching with bated breath. Their eyes were wide, their pupils thin slits of shock. A quick glance among them didn't reveal their collective age, but Lion-O guessed that if they weren't very young, they were still a very new regiment, probably fresh recruits, and hadn't witnessed anything like this before. He turned away from them and repeated his desperate question.

"Why? Why are you doing this? What happened? What changed?"

Her face tightened in a grimace, and he thought he saw something flash in her eyes. Regret? Pain? For a moment, his heart swelled with a tiny kernel of hope. He slowly lowered the Sword of Omens, and swept his hand back to indicate the others behind him, still being held by the lizards who had grabbed hold of them. They'd been struggling at first, but like the enemy, had quieted to watch the fight unfold in pained shock.

"We're friends. All of us. Don't you remember that?" he said gently, hoping his words would sever through to her. Secretly he prayed she was under some kind of spell, and that his mention of their friendship, the things they'd been through together, would shatter it, or at the very least, disrupt the hazy fog enough for her to break it herself.

"We _are_ friends." she said sadly, shattering his hope. "But sometimes…"

She trailed off, looking away, and the lizards began to stir restlessly. Clearly they weren't sure whether to interfere or stay where they were. Lion-O wished his companions would take advantage of the lull and break free, but not even he could turn away and start running. Not yet. He had to be able to get through to her.

"A truly dramatic display."

The voice set his blood to fire in his veins and drove icy chills through his spine. He jerked his head up, looking at the overhand, and found two pairs of eyes looking back. One set was dark, set in the smug, indifferent face of Grune, who was smiling coldly at him. The other set glowed brightly from within the folds of a blood-red cowl, glinting with malicious pleasure as he spoke again.

"But I tire of this, my dear. Kill him."

She didn't even look up as he gave the order. Something surfaced in her expression, then it went impassive once more.

"Please…" he pleaded, trying one last time.

She bent forward and charged at him.


	2. Chapter 1: Huge Surprise

Chapter 1: Huge Surprise

The rough surface of the broken, dusty trail that had served as a road eventually gave way to a junction, one side continuing the path, the other opening into a field of tall grass. Before the fork was a post, a rotting, splintering wooden stake driven into the ground long ago, sprouting three wooden boards near its top. But the signs had seen a great deal of exposure to the elements over the span of years, and had fallen into such disrepair, the writing scratched into the surface was next to impossible to decipher. Yet the message was unmistakable: each crumbling board pointed down a path.

"Great," Panthro grumbled as the rumbling of the Thundertank's engine died down, "Now what?"

Cheetara pursed her lips and frowned, but it was Tygra who voiced the question first.

"Why would there be a fork here if the road only continues in one direction?"

"Hah! Lazy workmanship, if you ask me!" Panthro scoffed.

"Either way," Lion-O murmured, "We have to make a choice here."

"Maybe you should use the Sword again," Wilykit suggested, turning her big eyes up at Lion-O.

"Somehow I doubt the Sword of Omens would work with choosing a path." Tygra shot Lion-O a cynical look, as though daring the younger prince to prove the point. Lion-O frowned back, but made no move to draw the sword from its sheath.

"I don't think so," he replied, slowly looking back at the stained, cracking signpost, "I think this is more of a gut thing. Something that we should leave up to instinct to lead us in the right direction."

"Perhaps you're onto something there. What did the Sword of Omens show you?" Cheetara asked, a hint of approval in her tone.

"The hut, remember? But I don't think it was the same one we saw at the elephant's village. That's why we kept going in this direction. Hopefully, we can come across what the Sword showed me."

"So then which path?" Panthro quipped. For a long moment, they all looked between the two directions the signs indicated, not counting the one pointing back they way they came, wary of the choice upon them and its consequences. Finally, Lion-O raised an arm, pointing toward the open, grassy fields.

"That way," he declared firmly, "I'm almost sure of it."

"I sure hope you know what you're doing." Panthro sighed in resignation.

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><p>The tanks spent the better part of the day rolling through the huge fields, toward the mountain in the distance, its normal thundering rumble muffled in the grass. They stopped around mid-afternoon to eat, and Tygra and Cheetara hopped down to inspect their surroundings.<p>

"The grass is incredibly soft!" Cheetara noted, a note of surprise in her voice. "It's almost like walking on feather down!"

"Sounds like it'd be perfect to take a nap on." Panthro mused, a light in his eye revealing he was relishing the idea.

"Or to mute the passage of enemies." Tygra muttered, exchanging a dark look with Lion-O as he ran his fingers over the grass. A tense hush fell over them all, and refused to go away even as they continued on. Finally, as dusk began to drape its shadowy fingers over the vast expanse of the plain, they halted again to prepare supper.

"Don't suppose there's any firewood around here." Lion-O muttered, his blue eyes sweeping across the sea of green. Almost at once the Wily twins were at his side, having scrambled out of the tank and rushed down the ramp, eager to please.

"We could go looking for some firewood!" Kat said, an ear-to-ear grin on his face.

"I'm not sure…"

"Aww, come on, Lion-O!" Kit protested, bouncing on the balls of her feet, "You've seen how good we are at finding things!"

The young lord of the Thundercats chewed his lip for a moment, watching the children. They'd showed an unusual knack for attracting trouble like a lodestone, but they had also proved to be more than able at any task presented to them and willing to help however they could. Finally he exhaled, his features relaxing into a smile.

"All right," he answered, "But take Snarf with you."

The twins cracked identical grins and Kat beckoned the royal pet to his shoulder as they took off, silent in the field as any mouse. Tygra, coming out of the Thundertank, shot his younger brother a withering look.

"You expect _Snarf_ to keep those two out of trouble?"

Lion-O shrugged. "You never know."

They hopped up toward the top of the tank, regrouping with the other two, and watched Panthro scan the control panel for a moment.

"Nothing wrong, is there?" Lion-O asked.

"Nope, not that I can see." the old soldier replied. "Still…never hurts to be careful."

There was a short silence, then Cheetara turned to face them.

"Where do you think this hut is? In the mountains somewhere?" she asked.

"It would stand to reason, if there are people living up there somewhere." Tygra mused. Lion-O nodded, then glanced at Panthro, who immediately threw his massive hands up.

"Don't look at me," he gave a humorless laugh, "I've never been around these parts!"

"I guess we have no choice but to keep pressing forward, then." Lion-O muttered, his hands clenching into fists as he fought to keep down his frustration.

"Hey, don't worry so much," Cheetara said softly, reaching out to place a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Remember what you said earlier. Follow your instinct."

He turned to look at her, heat flooding his cheeks, his heartbeat speeding up. He opened his mouth to reply, when a yell of terror rent the night air. His blood froze in his veins as he turned in the direction of the sound, reaching for the Sword of Omens.

"That was Kat!" he blurted out, and in seconds the four were on their feet, charging across the darkening field.

"I _told_ you it wouldn't keep them out of trouble!" Tygra snapped, brandishing his whip as they ran.

"Playing 'I Told You So' isn't important right now!" Panthro backed before Lion-O could snap back. Cheetara began gaining ground on them, head tilted to see the tracks left behind where the twins had walked, and she motioned for them to follow her. They didn't have to go too far, however; they soon came upon the two young cats by a stunted, drooping tree. Kit was dancing anxiously beneath it, fear on her face as she clutched a mewling Snarf, and they realized the two were staring into the boughs of the tree.

"A little help?" came the wavering squeak as Kat flailed. At first glance, it seemed a snake had coiled around his ankles and was dragging him into the branches, but closer inspection revealed it to be—

"A rope snare?" Lion-O said, blinking.

"W-we came over here to ge-get some firewood," Kit explained, shaking, "And it just grabbed him! Whoosh!"

Lion-O frowned, then reached upward with the sword, slicing where the rope was stretched taut, and caught Kat as he fell.

"Holy candyfruit!" the young Thundercat sighed with relief, "Thanks a ton, Lion-O!"

"At least you three are safe." Cheetara said, moving to inspect them for any signs of injury.

"There's just one thing that bothers me," Lion-O remarked, "Who set this snare here, and why?"

They all went tense at once, holding their breath, each terrified second stretching into an eternity, when they heard a new sound, the faint _frush_ of footsteps on the soft grass. Immediately they spun toward it, instinct causing them to draw their weapons, fluidly bringing sword, staff, whip, _nunchaku_, and fists up in a forward defense.

A figure was approaching them, though he seemed more intent on the severed rope that continued to dangle and sway from the tree branches.

"Oh, what did you have to go and do that for?" he groaned. "That was my second-best snare!"

None of them answered, too stunned to speak.

It was another cat!

Shoulder-length brown hair was pulled back in a tie behind his neck, accentuating a large bald spot on the top of his head. His ears stood almost completely at the top of his head, for his rotund, boyish cheeks seemed to take up most of the lower half of his face. His stomach was rather round as well, and despite the fact he stood as tall as the princes with arms nearly as muscular as Panthro's, his girth somehow eliminated any malicious air to him. A stained apron was stretched across his large belly, and the bright purple clothes he wore accentuated the yellow-orange coloring of his fur. Most odd perhaps, were his markings, strange, broken, whorling spots that covered his arms and marked the edges of his ears and face.

He watched them expectantly for a moment, clearly wanting an answer to his question, then frowned when none was offered up, though it seemed more of a pout.

"What?" he prompted.

"You're…you're a cat!" Lion-O exclaimed, lowering the Sword of Omens. The other bobbed his head in a quick nod.

"Yep, same as you." he replied, his expression growing skeptical as he looked them over. "You aren't from around here, are you?"

"We've been traveling from the kingdom of Thundera." Cheetara explained, "Perhaps you've heard of it?"

"Heard of it?" the other cat laughed jovially, "Why I was born in Thundera! Of course I've heard of it!"

"Then have you heard about how it's fallen on dark times?" Tygra asked.

At once, the other cat's expression went grim. "Aye, I have. Heard the city was betrayed from within, attacked and overrun by the lizard army." He shook his head, scowling. "Dark times indeed. You're from Thundera, then?"

Lion-O stepped forward, twisting the Sword of Omens until the tip of the blade pointed downward, exposing the Eye of Thundera for him to see.

"I am Lion-O, lord of the Thundercats," he declared, "And these are my companions."

The newcomer's eyes went wide and he dipped into a low bow. "My lord!" he stammered, "Forgive me! I didn't mean to catch your young friend in my trap, I was just trying to snag some food for supper for my family! My name is Garth."

"Stand then, Garth," Lion-O answered calmly, feeling a small knot of guilt twist in his gut at having frightened the man, "No hard feelings. You say you're catching supper for your family?"

Another bob of the head. "Aye, my lord! You are all welcome to join us, if you wish! I happen to be the cook, and I believe there will be plenty of our meal to share with you!" Garth smiled at them all, spreading his hands. Panthro, Cheetara, and Tygra quickly exchanged a look amongst themselves, one which Lion-O didn't fail to notice, but the immediate cheering from the twins settled the matter for them.

"Right, it's settled, then!" Garth proclaimed, and with a quick jog back to retrieve the Thundertank, they were on their way. The new cat had clearly never seen the like of it before, for his eyes threatened to fall right out of his head when he first laid eyes on the tank.

"You mean you travel in that monster?" he squawked in astonishment, drawing a sharp glare from Panthro.

"Careful," Lion-O said with a chuckle, "That thing's his baby."

They followed Garth for the better part of a half-mile, most of them walking alongside him, while the tank lumbered along, bringing up the rear at a slow pace.

"So you and your family live nearby?" Lion-O asked.

"We didn't see any signs of houses when we were coming this way," Tygra said slowly, to which Garth flapped a meaty hand impatiently.

"Nah," he huffed, "We're nomads, travelers. Never stay in one place for too long before we get an itch in the feet and the wanderlust has us on the move again. Besides, it's better for business."

"Business?" Lion-O asked. "What kind of business? Are you traveling merchants?"

At this, Garth laughed uproariously.

"Merchants, he says! Oh, my great giddy aunt! You dear boy! Merchants? Hardly!"

At once, a faint glow from up ahead drew their attention to what appeared to be brightly painted houses on wheels. Loud music and voices could be heard, and as they drew closer, they could see nearly three dozen cats with Garth's coloration and markings dancing and juggling, and doing all manner of things they couldn't quite identify. Lion-O's unease mixed horribly with a sudden thrill in his chest and Garth beckoned them all into the ring of wagon-houses, where the cats slowly drew their activities to a halt, turning to face the newcomers with unreadable expressions.

"We're performers, my boy!" Garth proclaimed loudly. "The Ocelotti Traveling Family Act! What ho, friends! These here are Lion-O, lord of the Thundercats, and his friends!"

At once the performers all started greeting them, swarming the Thundercats in a flurry of bright colors, fluid movements, and clattering costume jewelry. Garth laughed again, and leaned in closer to Lion-O's ear to be heard over the ruckus.

"Telling you, boy, most people wouldn't have the modesty to accept an invitation from gypsies like us, but I suppose that just goes to show they'd never met your like before, eh?"

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><p>AN: Not much to say about this chapter, except for: yes, you read that right. Gypsies. R&R please!


	3. Chapter 2: Nyrris

A/N: For some reason this darned fanfic is eating my brain. I'm not sure why. Anyway, here's another chapter for you, and you finally get to meet my main OC. I DO own the Ocelotti Traveling Family Act caravan, but they won't appear a whole lot after this chapter. Anyhow, R&R please!

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><p><span>Chapter 2: Nyrris<span>

"Gypsies," Panthro whispered once they had been seated, "Don't eat anything that you haven't seen them eat first."

"Why not?" Tygra asked out of the corner of his mouth, "I think we can trust Garth; he seems harmless."

"Yeah, he does. But just because he's the family cook doesn't mean he's going to be the one serving us."

Lion-O turned away from their conversation, hoping the paranoia wouldn't be contagious. As far as he was concerned, Garth seemed like an indulgent, long-lost uncle, and he and his family deserved the opportunity to prove themselves, whatever their background or circumstances.

The twins at least, appeared to be enjoying themselves. Garth had declared he would have the food ready as soon as he was able, and another Ocelotti had immediately set to entertaining the twins and Snarf, performing sleights of hand and teaching them to Kat as he did so.

"Where did you get that coin from?" he asked, a greedy glint in his eye, so excited he bounced in place. The Ocelotti man grinned, dancing the silver piece over the back of his knuckles, its bright sheen winking in the firelight.

"I had it the whole time, my young friend," he answered, "Did you happen to spot it at all?"

"Ooh! I did, I did!" Kit said eagerly, her eyes shining as she too, bounced in place. A smile crept over Lion-O's face. No matter what had happened on their journey, the Wily twins always found delight in something along the way, a reminder that they were still children, regardless of their circumstances. It gave the young prince a sense of relief that the two refused to let their childhood be completely ripped away from them…even if they were beyond obnoxious at times!

"Excuse us, Lion-O."

The voice broke into his musings and he blinked in surprise, turning to see some Ocelottis standing before him. The one who had spoken was barely younger than he, and fidgeted under his gaze, offering a bashful smile.

"M-my name is Leesil…and my siblings, cousins and I were wondering if we could put on a show for you." he spoke quickly, gesturing to indicate the seven others gathered behind him. They were all dressed in a deep, rich shade of green, and their clothes hugged them tight, unlike some of the adults with baggier, flowing garments. Lion-O decided it had to be some sort of uniform.

"A show?" Cheetara asked politely as she, Tygra and Panthro turned to face the small group.

"Yes!" Leesil replied, his eyes lighting up as he nodded vigorously, "It would be a huge honor! The Ocelotti family hasn't performed for royalty of Thundera in over a decade!"

Tygra glanced over, catching his brother's eyes, and the corner of his mouth twitched up in a small smile. Lion-O grinned back, then nodded at Leesil. "Then _we_ would be honored to see your performance." he declared.

"You'll have to forgive us," Leesil ducked his head, "We're a newer act, so we're still perfecting it."

"Ahh, don't listen to Lee!" another voice broke in, and one of the female performers stepped forward. She was short, and would probably stand only just above Lion-O's shoulder if they were back-to-back, but he could tell she was his own age, if not slightly older. Her black hair, like Garth's fell to her shoulders, and her eyes were a bright, soft blue-gray. She grinned cheekily at them all as she squeezed Leesil's shoulders.

"He gets stage fright easily," she explained, tossing them a wink, "We won't disappoint you! I promise!"

Surprised, Lion-O could only nod, and the young Ocelottis took it as their cue, drawing close to one another and whispering quickly. One of them looked off to the side, toward a group comprised of older adults seated on the steps of a house-wagon, and gestured. The older group struck up a lively, rapid tune with instruments that certainly weren't in their hands seconds ago, and the young performers fell into a quick formation, their feet drumming on the ground in time to the rhythm of the music, and the entire caravan seemed to hum along. The boys approached first, the combined motions of their arms with the drumming of their feet creating a series of flowing steps, something between a traditional dance and the sequence of forms in a sword practice. They were tight-knit, no gaps between them as they stepped, even when they began to jump to the drumming, until by some unseen signal they stepped further apart, their feet twisting one behind the other like a tangle of grape vines. At this, the girls came forward to bridge the gaps, long, flowing cloth dancing from their fingertips, snaking through the air. The image reminded Lion-O of desert raiders that had once visited Thundera on their way through a trade route, slicing the air with the curved, wicked blades of their scimitars.

"So far, not too bad," he heard Tygra whisper, and when he glanced over, Lion-O had to resist the urge to smack his hand over his face at the flirtatious looks his brother was tossing the female dancers. He started to turn back to the performance, when someone set a bowl down in front of him. He glanced up to see Garth smiling and dishing out supper.

"That was fast." Lion-O remarked.

"Trade secret," Garth answered his unspoken question before indicating the dancers, "Whatcha think, eh?"

Lion-O looked at them, watching as the girls took up the rhythm of the dance, while the boys spun away from the center, dancing with the cloths to pass them to some of the other members of the caravan. The group in green then returned together in the center, the boys scooping up the girls and tossing them upward, where they spun rapidly before being caught.

"They're good." Lion-O replied. He paused for a moment, then pointed. "Who is that?"

"Who, Leesil?" Garth asked, blinking, "Why, he's my younger son."

"Oh. Er, no, I meant…" the prince paused before pointing again, "Her!"

"Oh, Nyrris?" Garth said, "My niece. My brother Rhys's only child. Rhys and his wife left some time ago, vanished, so my sister and I have been looking after Nyrris since."

"Your sister?" Lion-O prompted, and Garth went tense, looking decidedly nervous.

"You'll meet her later," he murmured quietly, "Just watch the show for now." And with that, he quickly moved away to serve someone else.

The music had gotten faster, and two of the boys moved into the fringes of the caravan's crowd, almost vanishing if not for their keeping rhythm with the dance. The other two spun together, creating a gap between them once again as they each seized one of the girls. In one fluid motion, the young men tossed their female partners into the air in mid-step, and the girls curled in on themselves tightly, flipping, passing one in front of the other to land on the shoulders and outstretched arm of the opposite male partner. Surprisingly, neither Ocelotti buckled under the weight, and they stretched their free hands out before them. On cue, the remaining two girls raced forward, bouncing on the proffered hands and flipping into the air as well, higher than the others had, spinning, suspended for a brief moment. Then they began to descend, uncurling to land on one foot, on the interlocked arms of the first two girls.

"They're pretty good," Cheetara mused, a smile in her voice, and Lion-O didn't doubt the claim. For someone as adept at acrobatic feats as Cheetara, that was high praise.

"Hmm? Now what?" Panthro muttered, as the last two performers rushed toward the two of their partners, trailing a huge cloth canvas. They tossed it high in the air and it draped over the tower, like someone had accidentally thrown a tablecloth over a fountain. The two rushed around the tower in a circle, pulling the cloth tighter, and Lion-O began to worry for those trapped inside. The boys circled back in front, and the one on the left passed the corners of the canvas to his partner on the right, who Lion-O realized was Leesil.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" he boomed, before yanking the canvas sharply. It billowed once, then fell away to reveal nothing underneath, and the music stopped as the rest of the caravan began to applaud. The Thundercats surged to their feet and joined in, making Leesil flush with pride.

"Yahoo! Encore!" the twins yelled.

"I admit it, I'm impressed." Panthro said with a grin, his earlier suspicions forgotten.

"That was fantastic!" Lion-O exclaimed.

"Didn't I tell you we wouldn't disappoint?"

They spun around and looked behind them. Nyrris was crouched forward on the roof of a house-wagon, her dark hair framing her smug smile.

"Your name is Nyrris, right?" Lion-O asked, "You _definitely_ didn't disappoint us." At this, her smile widened back into her cheeky grin of earlier and she threw him a mock salute.

"You flatter me, Prince Lion-O!" she laughed, "The one who won't disappoint you is Uncle Garth, especially judging by tonight's spread. Looks like he went all out for you guys!"

He blinked, then returned his gaze to the bowl Garth had handed him. With a shock, he realized it had been filled to overflowing with multiple vegetables, several enormous fruits, and a huge piece of sizzling mutton. Glancing to his companions, he saw that their bowls were similarly heaped high, with Wilykat and Wilykit already digging in.

"Well, go on," Nyrris urged, hopping down from her perch and taking a bowl from her uncle, "Don't wait on us to join. The way those two are wolfing theirs down, you'd think you were all half-starved or something."

* * *

><p>Supper turned out to be a delightful affair, during which they became acquainted with more of the Ocelottis and Panthro had struck up a casual conversation with Garth about the meal. Lion-O attempted to ask the rotund cat if he'd ever been a royal chef, but Garth had merely laughed good-naturedly, and replied that he hadn't, but was flattered at the comparison. Nyrris had sat down to join them and Cheetara had struck up a conversation with the younger girl about their acrobatic routine. Tygra was answering questions many of the gypsies threw at him, and the twins were performing the sleights of hand they'd been taught, with a remarkable side effect of their audiences' food disappearing afterward.<p>

But then, without warning, the noise around the caravan stopped. Lion-O looked around, tensing automatically, ready to face the threat. Nearby, he caught sight of the other Thundercats adopting similar postures, then nearly lost his calm when Snarf came running and ducked behind him.

"What's going on?" he asked, turning to Garth, who only pointed.

Another gypsy family member was approaching the set of campfires, but she hadn't been among the others before. She was only a bit shorter than Lion-O, with long, frizzy dark hair that fell past her shoulders, contained by a transparent hood her ears stuck out of. Her green eyes were wide and fever-bright, and she wore a cloak of dark red, the shade of mulberry wine, trimmed at the edges in black. She carried herself with her head held high, and the rest of the gypsies shrank back as though she was royalty, but Lion-O could only feel as though he was looking at a mad person. She strode right up to Garth, not making eye contact with the newcomers, not even twitching in their direction, like they were no more than furniture.

"We have things to discuss, brother." she murmured in a rough voice, and without another word, walked past him. Garth gave Lion-O an apologetic look, then hurried after her, and slowly, the noise started up again around the caravan, an uneasy murmur.

"Who was _that_?" Tygra asked.

"Oh, that was my aunt, Priséa." Nyrris offered. "You'll have to forgive her for just now; over-dramatized appearances play in with her part, so she does it all the time."

"What's her profession?" Cheetara asked.

"Depends on which one you're talking about," the gypsy girl laughed, "To anyone who comes to see the Ocelotti Traveling Family Act, she's our fortune-teller, albeit a half-mad one, compared to most. But she's also a shaman behind closed doors."

Cheetara spun about, looking at her intently. "A shaman, you say?"

"You got it," Nyrris answered, "She's been teaching me both jobs so I can take over when she retires, but my fortune-telling isn't up to her standards just yet. She's so disappointed; says if I'm able to master wild magic so easily, that the divination should just come naturally." She sighed, shrugging. "Oh, well. I'm practicing, so I'll get it eventually. Can't really ask for much more than that, can you?"

Cheetara kept her face neutral, but a quick flash of her eyes told the others of her unease. Trained by Jaga, the head cleric of Thundera, Cheetara was naturally wary of other forms and practices of magic, especially after having faced Mumm-Ra twice. Nyrris of course, didn't notice the unspoken exchange, and turned her attention to Tygra, who was asking her something. Lion-O bit his lip, turning back in the direction Garth and Priséa had gone. They were further away, between two of the outermost house-wagons, but he could still see them talking. Apparently, the conversation was taking a turn for the worse, because Garth crossed his arms and spoke sharply, while Priséa hissed her words and gestured wildly, clearly upset. Finally, they must have reached some sort of conclusion, as she fell quiet and the two started back toward them. Lion-O shifted back around in his seat, about to ask Nyrris a question or two of his own, when a wintry grip like frost-coated steel closed around his upper arm. He jumped and spun, staring into the shaman's mad eyes.

"I would speak with you, young Lord of the Thundercats." she said quietly, hauling him to his feet with a strength that belied her frail appearance. Stunned, Lion-O couldn't' bring himself to object, and followed her away, to where he had seen her talking with Garth. There they stopped, and for a long moment, Priséa was quiet, not even facing him, but staring into the distance. He tried to keep quiet and just as he thought he couldn't stand it anymore, the older cat shuddered and sighed.

"I see many perils on the path before you, Prince Lion-O. Much danger…and a vast deal of pain."

"I'm not surprised," he said quietly, "We're trying to gather what we need in order to defeat Slithe, the lizards, Grune…and especially Mumm-Ra. Not exactly a stroll through the garden."

"Are you telling me that you do not fear the shadows that hang over your future?"

"Of course I'm scared," he spoke even quieter, "We all are. But we can't let fear stop us from doing what's right."

Finally Priséa turned and looked at him, her expression calculating. She said nothing for a time, then remarked in a tight voice, "Garth wishes for Nyrris to join you."

He involuntarily took a step back in surprise.

"So he's not asked you yet, has he?" she huffed, "Typical. Then I shall ask: Would you be willing to take on my niece as a traveling companion?"

"B-but…you said yourself you saw great danger—"

"I have. And I don't like the notion of Nyrris leaving, but she is of age, and even if I were to keep her here, there are some events that will come to pass, even if people take measures to avoid them. The Wheel turns, and the Pattern weaves as it must. What will be, will be. Better that she go with you and help you, than to be trapped with us."

Lion-o fell silent for a long moment, pondering. He knew it would be better to talk to the others before making a weighty decision, but his instinct told him the shaman wouldn't let him leave without getting an answer. Cautiously he nodded, and Priséa relaxed visibly about the shoulders.

"Then promise me one thing, young Prince."

"And w-what would that be?"  
>She met his eyes directly, her expression grave, and spoke in low tones. "I want you to promise me…that whatever may occur on your quest…regardless of the lies you may hear…regardless of what your eyes may see…that you will be a friend to my niece, and that you won't relinquish that friendship…no matter what may occur."<p>

There was something decidedly ominous to her words and he paused, icy dread creeping up on him. He must have hesitated for too long, for Priséa's hands shot forward and clamped over his arms once more.

"Promise me!" she hissed, somewhere between desperation and insanity.

Lion-O swallowed hard over the knot in his throat.

"I…I promise."


	4. Chapter 3: Aunt Priséa's Blessing

Chapter 3: Aunt Priséa's Blessing

Lion-O woke sometime in the morning before his companions, feeling a strange twinge of guilt in his gut. The conversation the night before hadn't gone smoothly by any standards. When he thought back on it, he decided that should have been expected, but it didn't change the feeling of having let everyone down. In letting his companions down by not consulting them before the decision, he was also letting Priséa down, as he was sure the others would not agree to bringing the shaman's niece along. He got to his feet, stretching the sleep from his limbs, trying to clear his head.

"Snar?"

Snarf, curious and loyal as any pet owner could hope to have, had woken with him and lingered, hovering by his foot and watching him expectantly. His overlarge ears twitched and he mewled again, making Lion-O sigh.

"I don't know, Snarf. Sometimes I worry maybe I'm not fit to make these kinds of choices." he murmured quietly, raising his gauntlet and staring into the blood-hued surface of the Eye of Thundera. Nothing, no answer, no hint, stared back at him from within the crimson depths. He lowered the gauntlet again, his restless gaze wandering around the circle of the house-wagons, when he spotted Nyrris exiting one of them. She stretched a few times, similar to the way the clerics had warmed up in the palace courtyard, and glanced up to catch his eye. She grinned as cheekily as she had the previous evening, then took off, running a handful of yards before kicking off from the ground, curling herself into a ball as she rose into the air. At the zenith of her flip, she twisted and unfolded herself, landing nimbly and sliding back a few feet, facing the wagon she'd just left. She stood upright, then dipped into a motion that was somewhere between a curtsy and a fencer's bow.

"Ta-daaa!"

"You're impressive." he remarked, approaching her, and she threw back her head and laughed.

"Well, 'impressive' isn't something I'm used to hearing. Aunt Priséa prefers to label me a show-off." Nyrris gave a bit of a nervous chuckle, looking away.

"Well…maybe just a little bit." Lion-O offered gently. "But hey, you've got a lot of talent."

"Thank you," she said, looking up and offering a genuine smile. "I can't tell you what it means to me to hear the Lord of the Thundercats, of all people, paying me a compliment."

"So," Lion-O began carefully, starting to walk, "Your uncle, Garth…he says he was born in Thundera. What about you?"

"Me?" Nyrris laughed, "No, I wasn't born in Thundera."

"Oh. Well, have you ever been there?"

She shook her head. "Not that I can recall. I might have once, when I was very young, but I doubt it."

"Your cousin Leesil said your family hasn't performed for the royal family in roughly a decade."

"And until last night, they hadn't," she confirmed with a nod, "Leesil's been to Thundera before, when he was seven. But my parents sometimes journeyed apart from the rest of the family. I remember going once to city of monkeys, a huge place overrun by creeping plants and falling into a state of ruin. I was about ten or so, so I'm willing to bet that's where my parents and I were when my relatives were in Thundera."

"But you know of it." he said tensely, making it neither statement nor question.

"What cat hasn't?" she replied with a good-natured shrug. "The city is legendary across all of Third Earth. Uncle Garth tends to spout off a lot of his philosophy, and he believes that all cats instinctively know how to find Thundera. That it's something in the fire in our blood or what-have-you."

"Huh. I've never thought of it from that perspective." Lion-O murmured, looking again at the gauntlet over his left arm.

"Ahh, don't lose your hair over it," Nyrris waved a hand dismissively, "Nobody ever quite thinks of things from a gypsy's perspective. Nobody except scholars and other gypsies."

He watched her for a long moment, then took a deep breath. "What about traveling? Going on quests and long journeys?"

She blinked. "What, you're asking me personally?" she spluttered, shocked. A second later, a sly look came over her. "Or are you asking for a gypsy's perspective?"

"N-no, I mean you personally."

Nyrris shrugged heavily, sighing in resignation. "I wouldn't know. I've never done anything like that before. By Ocelotti tradition, anyone not of age isn't allowed to travel away from the caravan unless they're going with their parents. Strength in numbers, you know. I am of age now, but I've been so busy learning my trades from Aunt Priséa, I never thought to take up what my parents did so often."

"Do you know anything about what happened in Thundera recently?" Lion-O asked, looking her in the eye, receiving a shake of the head in return.

"Just a few rumors to go off of, but we've not heard anything solid. I'm guessing it must have been rather recently, otherwise we'd already know in full detail." she answered. Her blue eyes flicked up and searched him for a moment. "I suppose you might be willing to tell me?"

He raised the gauntlet for her to see, and began, "We were betrayed by someone I'd known all my life. He betrayed my father, my family, our home, for power, allying himself with Mumm-Ra. He sold us out to the lizards, and the entire city was attacked and laid to waste through their technology and treachery. That wasn't enough for them, though. Mumm-Ra came with them, and he murdered my father, and tried to take the Sword of Thundera as well. We don't know what became of all the other cats. It's my hope that many of them escaped, but I _know_ a great number of our soldiers, clerics, and citizens were killed. I'm afraid a lot of them that survived were enslaved, though."

"Couldn't you help them?" Nyrris asked, furrowing her brow.

"Believe me, I want to. But I need to bring down the monster that murdered my father and city. And in order to do that, I need to fulfill this quest that's fallen to me. There are a total of four legendary warstones, the Eye of Thundera being one of them, that can defeat Mumm-Ra. And along with the stones, we have to unite all the animal people against him." Lion-O answered.

Nyrris frowned for a moment, her eyes flicking over the gauntlet and the sheathed Sword of Omens, crossing her arms.

"What's wrong?" Lion-O asked her, blinking.

"Nothing," she answered lightly, "It just sounds a bit difficult, and the road is long. But then, quests aren't ever supposed to be easy."

He frowned. "But that isn't all of it, is it? What you think."

"Of course not. But I don't like to be a rain cloud, so I don't see a whole lot of point in continuing beyond what I've already said."

"What if I told you I want you to tell me regardless?"

"Is that an _order_, Prince?" Nyrris said quietly, her smile sly and her eyes flashing.

"N-no…" he gulped, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment. Her smile widened, and she jumped backward into a flip, landing gently on the edge of a wagon-house roof behind her.

"Gypsies are a free people, Lion-O," she chuckled, "_No one_ orders us unless we let them."

He tightened his jaw, about to retort, when she pulled a cloth from her waistband and spun it. It expanded and billowed in the air, coming down to cover her completely. For a moment, he surged forward, ready to rip it off and ask her to come back down, but a soft breeze passed through the caravan ring, and blew the cloth off of the roof, revealing nothing underneath.

"Whiskers." he whispered to himself

"Snaaaarrrrrr!" came the mewl as his pet tugged at the hem of his pants, and he glanced about, seeing Cheetara and Tygra approaching with Panthro in their wake. He bit his lip to refrain from swearing a second time, and faced them.

"Listen, about last night—"

Panthro held up a hand to forestall him, sighing. "Look, we've been talking about this. And we think that you made the right choice. Nyrris should come with us. Doesn't mean we have to like it, but it's the right thing to do."  
>"Y-you did?" Lion-O stammered in surprise. "Why? What changed your minds?"<p>

"Uniting the animals." Tygra answered gruffly.

"If we have Nyrris along, that means we might have an advantage when we try talking to other…nomads." Cheetara offered, looking him in the eye.

"It's a good argument." Panthro remarked, crossing his arms.

"What's a good argument?" Nyrris asked abruptly, reappearing from between two of the house-wagons and looking politely confused. The Thundercats all exchanged a quick glance before Tygra cleared his throat noisily, prompting his younger brother to get on with it. Lion-O turned to Nyrris and offered her a hesitant smile.

"Nyrris…would you like to join us on our quest?"

Her eyes went wide.

"It's going to be dangerous. We're not sure when you'll get to see the rest of your family again. But Priséa asked us if we would be willing to take you, and from what she said, Garth was going to ask as well. You don't have to come with us if you don't w—"

"Are you joking?" she gave a clipped, awestruck chuckle, her mouth opening into a huge smile. "I would kill for an opportunity like that! To travel with the legendary Thundercats? It would be an honor!"

"When can you be ready?" Tygra asked.

"In an hour or so." Nyrris replied. "But you'd better get to work waking everyone, if you want to leave that soon. Farewells among the Ocelotti family can take a while."

As it turned out, most of the Ocelotti family was already awake, and they took the announcement of Nyrris leaving with good grace. When she finished gathering a decent-sized pack of what she would need, all of the gypsies had assembled among the caravan ring and immediately proceeded to say their goodbyes, wishing her a safe journey. Some of them gave her small gifts, ranging from packets of her favorite type of tea to charms that were for good luck, health, vitality, and protection. Many of those giving away the latter also gave some to the Thundercats, insisting they would need them. Most of these disappeared into the twins' pouches, but no one said anything about it. Finally, when the hour was nearly up, Nyrris went to stand with them, ready to head to the Thundertank, when three last figures approached.

"You're really leaving." Leesil said sadly to his cousin, evidently trying not to cry. "I thought you would stay with us forever. Guess you have too much of Uncle Rhys in you, though."

Nyrris offered him a gentle, sad smile. "I'll be back one day, Lee. You keep practicing the routine until then. And don't worry; you'll be able to find a substitute for my part. Why not the one girl we met in that one village? You're heading back that way, anyhow, so you should ask." Her smile turned sly suddenly, and she waggled her eyebrows. "Besides, she was really cute, and kind of sweet on you."

"Sh-shut up!" Leesil muttered, giving his cousin a light punch on the arm before sweeping her into a hug. "I'm gonna miss you, cous. Be safe."

"You too, Lee." she replied.

"And that 'be safe' rule applies to you all!" Garth suddenly grunted, stepping forward, and before any of them could object, he proceeded to grab them all one by one in crushing bear hugs, save for Panthro, who stepped away quickly, protesting.

"Oh, uncle!" Nyrris sighed.

"I mean it!" he said sternly. His eyes passed over them all before he smiled brightly. "You don't look like anything could take you on, but it pays to be safe, rather than sorry."

"Thank you, Garth." Cheetara replied swiftly, offering the older cat a smile.

"For everything." Lion-O added.

"Thank you, uncle." Nyrris said softly, and Garth smiled sadly, taking a step back to stand with his son. There was a tense pause, and then Priséa stepped forward, her expression as grim as Lion-O had seen it the night before. She held a small, wooden bowl in her left hand, full of a strange, glittering powder, and an unsettling air seemed to emanate from her.

"I've said it once already, and I shall say my mind again," she intoned harshly, "I do not like this in the least. But it is a situation beyond my control."

"Auntie?" Nyrris asked hesitantly, and the older woman's feverish green eyes flicked about to bore into her.

"I have scryed the possibility of you joining these Thundercats in every manner known to me. The future is not set in stone, my Nyrris, and there are a great many things that could happen on your journey. But know this: there are some things that are meant to happen, and they will happen, regardless of whether or not you stay with us or go on this quest. But the best outcome, in any circumstance, relies solely on you traveling with the Princes and their friends. I have seen this, and I will yield to it."

At this, Garth shifted uncomfortably, his skeptical gaze flicking constantly between his sister and niece, and Leesil furrowed his brow in confusion, whispering softly to his dad. Nyrris turned her head slightly, her mouth curving into a wry smile as she whispered over her shoulder.

"Did I mention my aunt has a flair for the melodramatic?"

"Nyrris!" Priséa snapped, and the younger gypsy looked back at her as Priséa hefted the bowl of powder. Dipping her middle and index fingers into the powder, she proceeded to brush her niece's bangs aside and sketch a symbol with the powder on Nyrris's forehead. Instinct caused the Thundercats to lean forward, but none of them recognized the pattern Priséa made. She finished as abruptly as she'd begun, then fluffed Nyrris's bangs back into place.

"To guard you against that which I cannot." she huffed, clearly pleased with herself. Nyrris gave her an indulgent smile.

"Thank you, Aunt Priséa." she said, before pulling the older woman into a hug. For an instant, Priséa looked startled, but then her expression went grave once more, and her gaze moved to Lion-O as she answered, not to her niece, but all of them.

"Don't thank me just yet."

* * *

><p>A handful of days had passed since Nyrris left with the Thundercats, and the Ocelotti family was handling the loss of their most promising young acrobat with good grace. A death or disappearance in the family tended to be the most unsettling, but the notion that the Lord of the Thundercats had asked one of their own to join him on a quest was something they would talk about for years to come. It was an honor most of them dreamed of, being able to simply perform for royalty, and it was awe-inspiring to think that royalty in turn, would consider any one of them a valuable companion.<p>

It had been assumed that Garth and his son Leesil would take Nyrris leaving the hardest. After all, Garth was foremost among Nyrris's guardians, and Leesil had practically been raised with her as an older sister more than a cousin. But the Ocelottis were always an optimistic lot, and despite however much the family cook and his son missed her on the inside, they certainly did their best to lift everyone's spirits and look on the bright side.

Priséa, however, hadn't been seen outside her own house-wagon since Nyrris left.

Whispers began to start up around the caravan again. They knew Priséa _had_ to be leaving her home from time to time, but none of them had actually seen her. Normally she tended to be unsettling when she _was_ seen, but this was something different. The shaman was reclusive most of the time, but never to a degree such as this. Though none of the gypsies would say it out loud for fear of an unknown retribution, they started to believe that Priséa would never recover from the loss of Nyrris.

Within her house-wagon, the fortune-teller spent her time in a fast-moving haze. She had indeed, left the solitude of her tiny home now and again, but refused to help anyone, lest they come to her. She still did what she was needed for, but her mind was elsewhere. The visions surrounding Nyrris that she'd found in her scrying were still somewhat blurry and distorted in places, which troubled her.

Finally, sometime after sunset, Priséa rose and approached her modest table, selecting the largest of her bowls, setting it in the middle of the surface before turning to her shelves to select what she needed. A small pitcher of water was emptied into the earthenware bowl before she added the contents of a stoppered flask labeled "Essence of Silver." She was preparing the second ingredient when a rapid knock rattled the door. Her eyes flicked up in annoyance. Only her brother knocked like that.

"Enter." she said gruffly.

The door swung open to admit Garth, his belly proceeding the rest of him, with Leesil in his wake.

"Pris, we need to talk," the cook said gently.

"I'm busy." she snapped before glaring at Leesil, "And shut that door, boy!"

He jumped, dirty blonde locks bouncing, and hastened to obey, while his father pulled up two chairs with a sigh and sat in one of them.

"Pris, you're taking Nyrris leaving a bit too hard."

"You presume much of me without actually trying to ask."

"You're not the only one who misses her, Auntie." Leesil muttered, taking one of the chairs. The shaman shot him another glare before turning back to her shelves and starting to rummage among their contents.

"You can't hole yourself up in here forever, sister." Garth said gently. "You're going to have to face reality before long. Even you yourself said that the best course of action would be to let Nyrris go with the Thundercats."

She pulled one of the flasks from the shelf, and turned back to them, her green eyes flicking over them dully.

"My visions were still clouded, and this continues to worry me." she declared.

Garth raised an eyebrow before looking at the bowl on the table. "Going to try again with your future-scrying?"

"Yes. And you know I prefer to work this part of my abilities alone." she replied sharply, to which he threw his hands up with a smile.

"We'll be quiet."

She glowered, a muscle in her jaw twitching warningly, but she merely unstoppered the flask and poured the powder inside into the bowl. Light began to emanate from the surface of the water, and she set the flask down to gently rotate the bowl with her hands. Leesil and Garth leaned in, eager to see, and Priséa's eyes became more fever-bright than ever as images began to dance on water.

_A village, half-hidden in snow…strange cats with blue-white coloring and rosetta markings…the same village under attack, noxious green clouds exploding here and there…the Thundertank rumbling across the Dead Plains…a wall of lizards, rushing forward, faces split into grins of bloodlust…more vagabond cats joining them and doting on Nyrris like a younger sister…Nyrris in a cave, her face growing pale at a message given to her by her own set of runestones…More lizards ambushing the cats…Nyrris and Lion-O fending off the attack, back to back…the Thundercats falling under the attack, driven to their knees…a cruel smile looming over them from the face of a saber-toothed cat, one that seemed to drive Panthro into a terrifying rage…and a figure robed in the color of freshly spilled blood, eyes glowing from within his cowl and shining with hate_—

They all pulled away with a gasp, and the images in the water faded with the light emanating from it. Garth was breathing hard, and the color had left Leesil's face, while Priséa only scowled ever darker, as though her bowl had done her some great personal wrong. Finally, Garth found his voice.

"Why—why—why didn't you tell me that's what you saw?"

"Not all of it was clear to me," she answered, the image of the hooded figure lingering ominously in her mind's eye, "But I did tell you our niece would be facing incredible danger."

"You never said anything about—"

"I didn't see him in my visions until now."

"S-so now what…?" Leesil asked, "Can't we do anything to protect her?"

Priséa spun about, blinking at him. "Actually, there is something I can do." She took the bowl from the table, cradling it in an arm, and opened the door, stepping outside. Ignoring the gasps from her relatives, the shaman marched to the nearest fire pit and poured out the contents of the bowl. Smoke billowed upward and the flames flickered a blue-orange, and the Ocelotti family stepped back, wary.

Silver light flickered among the smoke, and something descended, floating in place. The light that had been flickering was part of its body, silver pulsing and glowing like veins within a creature the color of obsidian. Its body danced at the edges like the flames in the fire pit, distorting the top of its head like a semblance of hair. The thing was slender in shape, with a head that might have belonged to any cat, with ears that distinctly formed in its flickering image. Leesil gulped audibly, and several of the gypsies stretched their hands over themselves, forming the gesture to ward away ill fortune.

Priséa had summoned a spirit.

The spirit looked at them all briefly, the silver orbs that formed its eyes passing over them without emotion, before it drew close to the shaman, its long, spindly arms pulling into view, forming hands with long talons that gestured quietly to Priséa.

"Spindlefire," she said affectionately, smiling at the spirit like a long-lost friend. It tilted its head in a slight inclination, then gestured again with its hands.

"I would ask that you find my niece, Nyrris, daughter of my brother Rhys, and his wife, Mara," she said quietly, "Find her and keep watch on her. Guard her, Spindlefire, and act as my eyes where I cannot go."

Spindlefire inclined its head once again, floating lower, sprouting long legs, then took off running in the direction the Thundertank had gone, faster than a galeforce wind.

* * *

><p>AN: Yeah, not much to say about this chapter other than Priséa is crazy, in my opinion. Please R&R!


	5. Chapter 4: Hidden In The Snow

A/N: Introducing a new set of characters in this chapter, everyone. And if you want to see the artwork for them, and the artistic friend of mine responsible for the creation of them, check out ShadObabe on deviantart!

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 4: Hidden In the Snow<span>

"That's good, but strike harder!"

Nyrris grinned as she swung the end of the quarterstaff up sharply, and the clatter of wood against wood filled their seat by the roadside. In the days that had followed their departure, Cheetara had quite readily accepted the young gypsy cat's requested to be trained in combat, taking Nyrris under her wing, and the ocelot was proving herself to be a fast learner. Using staves as weapons, Cheetara explained, was an excellent way to disarm and bring down an opponent without getting blood on one's hands.

"I still think it would be a good idea for you to learn multiple fighting styles and weapons." Panthro remarked, watching their progress carefully. "There are days when you're gonna find it can save your life, being good with a range of weapons."  
>"One thing at a time, Panthro," Cheetara said calmly.<p>

At this, Nyrris paused to taken in her other companions. She had returned with them to the elephant village after a vision from the Sword of Omens had instructed Lion-O to do so, and largely had been too awestruck to have fully take in everything that had occurred between the lines. It had been the attack of the lizard army that had prompted her to ask for combat lessons, for she needed not only to defend herself, but also to prove she could be an asset to the group. Lion-O and Tygra had ventured into the astral plane to retrieve the missing spirit stone. Cheetara had defended the hut on her own. Kit had helped rally the elephants to defend their village. Kat had helped cause confusion and misdirection where he was able. And Panthro had sacrificed his very arms to trap one of the enemy's generals in the astral plane as it was collapsing.

_I'm going to prove to them that I'm not useless_, Nyrris thought with determination.

"He's right though," she said aloud, lowering the quarterstaff, "I need to learn more than just this, no offense."

"…of course, Nyrris." Cheetara replied. Nyrris smiled at her, catching a nod of approval from Panthro out of the corner of her eye.

"But I'll keep training. I want to learn as much as possible. So where to next?"

As if on cue, Tygra started up the Thundertank, drawing a visible wince from Panthro.

"Back to the berbil village," Lion-O replied coolly, getting to his feet, "We're going to see if our furry little friends can't help Panthro do something about his arm problem."

Nyrris blinked. "Berbils? What's a berbil?"

* * *

><p>Time, it was often said, did not exist for spirits.<p>

This was untrue of Spindlefire. He felt the passage of time, if only the in the way an ancient tree might. He followed the trail of Nyrris's aura to the clearing where the Thundertank had been at rest, and finally caught sight of the ocelot, practice-sparring with a cheetah. These then, were the Thundercats that had taken in Priséa's niece as a traveling companion. Almost immediately, the lot of them loaded into the metal body of their vast machine and took off in a southwest direction, and the spirit followed. Spindlefire proceeded to conceal himself through his innate abilities, vanishing almost completely to the naked eye, and kept pace with the Thundertank all the way to a village of robot bears.

It was while these bears constructed prosthetic limbs for the great, hulking panther, that something tugged at Spindlefire's attention. The spirit kept his eyes on Priséa's niece, watched her childlike awe and marvel at the bears' creations, but he cast his awareness further out, touching into the different, overlapping planes of existence. He was only mildly surprised to feel a huge chunk of the astral plane had collapsed; such occurrences were rare, but the astral plane was known for being able to reform and reshape itself after a time. But it was the presence of a mortal entity trapped in that collapsed segment that drew Spindlefire's notice. Not only was this a rather stark anomaly, but the spirit felt a certain malignant taint to the presence, festering in its core as a deep, poisonous hatred. Spindlefire paused, and if the spirit had possessed a mouth, he would have frowned.

The mortal was dangerous, but no threat to him. However, its already powerful hate and taint of evil did not bode well, and doubtless the astral plane would rip the creature's mind to tatters, which would only turn the mortal's precarious state worse. Should it ever manage to escape back to the real world, the creature would be ten times as dangerous as before, having succumb to the fatal embrace of madness.

Spindlefire refocused his attention on Nyrris, pondering. There was no reason to believe the mortal thing posed a threat to the band of companions, but years of being bound so tightly to the shaman ocelot had formed Spindlefire into something beyond any typical spirit, and a sort of second instinct rose within him. Somehow, that mortal _was_ a threat, and in a very odd way, it caused Spindlefire to do something no known spirit had ever done before.

He began to worry.

It was a small sort of worry, the kind one pushes to the back of their mind and forgets on a conscious level, the sort of worry that lingers, waiting for its chance to resurface as top priority and transition to complete dread. But it was worry nonetheless, and it hid in the back of Spindlefire's thoughts over the next days of their journey.

* * *

><p>"So this is snow…" Lion-O murmured, his eyes wide with amazement, bringing a small smile to Nyrris's face. Ever since they'd left the elephant village, the Thunderan prince had grown silent and brooding, snapping coldly from time to time at Tygra and Cheetara, and the abrupt change in his demeanor made Nyrris distinctly uncomfortable. She'd sensed a kindred spirit in the young lion, and began to worry it would be buried alive by this newfound negativity. To see him in awe at a thing such as snow was a great relief.<p>

"Beautiful, isn't it?" she said, "I've only seen it a couple of times before, when my family's been on the move."

"I…didn't think it would be so…white." he said, dumbfounded.

"YEAUGH!" Panthro yelped, catching a snowball through by Wilykat in the side of his face.

"It's cold, too." Nyrris laughed as the grouchy veteran rounded on the snickering twins. "How far do you think we'll have to go?"  
>"Not sure," Lion-O muttered, squinting into the white landscape ahead, "The sword isn't what you'd call given to handing out precise directions."<p>

His frustration was, in truth, minimal. Earlier that morning, they had encountered a large group of traders descending the base of the mountains. Swathed in thick clothing with long white hair, the goats had been excited to trade with the cats, handing over all the gear the Thundercats would need in exchange for nearly half the candyfruit the berbils had given them as a parting gift. The Sword of Omens had shown the prince a vision of a fortress with an incredible library, and when he mentioned it to the traders, the goats had insisted the cats go into the mountains, saying the sword had shown him true.

"Have _you_ ever heard of Conscientia, Panthro?" Nyrris asked. "You must have traveled a lot."

The panther raised an eyebrow, frowning, and his mechanical fingers spun slowly, something that was occurring more frequently whenever he was deep in thought.

"Can't say that I have," he replied, "Name like that, it'd stick in a fella's memory."

"The goats said the library at Conscientia was incredible," Lion-O said carefully, "Maybe we're meant to find more information on the warstones there."

"Didn't think you'd be so eager to sit down and stick your nose in a book." Tygra chuckled, receiving a fierce, blue-eyed glare in response that made him choke on his laughter. Nyrris glanced quickly between the two of them, then to Panthro, who immediately looked away and fell behind to lecture the twins. She huffed in irritation, then marched up to Lion-O's side, matching pace with him.

"Look," she murmured, low enough so only he would hear, "I don't know what's going on, and I'll admit it really isn't my business, so I'll refrain from nosing. But whatever happened, it's cut you pretty deep. Lion-O, we haven't known each other very long, but I consider you a friend, and if there's any way I can help, I would love to. But you have to be willing to tell me when you want my help."

"All that, huh?" he looked at her, raising his eyebrows.

"Hey," she said with a smile and a shrug, "I don't need to be decent with fortune-telling to figure out when you're upset; you're helping me out plenty with that. You're almost a completely different person."

Lion-O watched her for a long moment, then looked forward, intently staring at the path they were walking on.

"Have you ever liked someone," he said very quietly, "Maybe even loved them, only to find out that they'll never love you in return?"

She nearly stumbled, having to pretend to have taken an interest in something on the ground in order to avoid the others realizing what they were talking about. When she was positive she had regained her balance, she shook her head, keeping her eyes low.

"No," she murmured, "I'll admit I've never been in that situation. When I have, I'll tell you right away. And…I'm sorry, if you feel I've been prying."

He glanced at her and she worked up a grin.

"But I'm not going to just let you be a grouchy stick-in-the-mud either! Fair enough?"

"Alright, alright!" he laughed, "I got it!"

"What's so funny?" they heard Cheetara ask not too far behind.

"Oh, nothing," Nyrris answered innocently, stooping down and gathering snow in her hands, "Except for…that thing on your face!"

"What th—" Cheetara's words were cut off with a muffled yelp as Nyrris's snowball smacked her square on the nose. "Hey!"

"Yeah! Alright!" the twins cheered, promptly making more snowballs to fling at Lion-O and Tygra. Cheetara laughed, brushing the snow off her eyes and scooping up a snowball of her own.

"Get back here!" she said with a mischievous smile, darting after Nyrris, who dodged the snowy missiles like a dancer moving through a routine. Even Lion-O started laughing and got in on the fun, pelting Tygra with a snowball.

"Oh, now you're gonna get it!" Tygra chuckled, wadding up a large lump of snow.

"Is it just me," Panthro's tense voice broke into their play, "Or does anyone else feel like we're being watched?"

The words had an immediate sobering effect, and the younger cats all paused, turning to regard him. Panthro had been a warrior for far longer than Lion-O and Tygra could remember, and as such, he doubtless had honed his senses far beyond that of the average cat. But a quick, careful look around the snow-covered path revealed nothing out of the ordinary.

"Panthro…are you sure?" Lion-O asked.

"You think I can't feel when I've got eyes following my every move?" the veteran asked softly, his face grim.

They traveled in complete silence after that.

Over the course of the day, they traveled up the path through the snow, seeking the mysterious village-town of Conscientia. Now and then, the twins would take point, in the event they might spot something the older cats couldn't, and at one point the entire group stopped so Lion-O could use the Sword of Omens again. The sword gave no hint toward the location of the village, but instead directed them to a cave in which they were able to take shelter for the night. After a rather cold meal, the twins curled up to sleep next to the fire with Snarf, and the adults kept watch, alternating between them all who slept and which one watched the mouth of the cave. By the next morning, when they awoke to a frightful, gray snowstorm, Panthro's paranoia had become contagious. Soon they were all stepping as softly as they were able to, and jumping at even the slightest sound that seemed out of the ordinary. But finally, when the path opened into a deep, bowl-like valley, they found what they sought.

"Look!" Cheetara exclaimed, pointing, "There are hut-houses in the snow."

"Yeah, a whole lot of them, too." Tygra added.

"That's got to be Conscientia." Lion-O declared firmly, starting toward the huts.

"But what about that library the goats mentioned?" Nyrris asked. "I know I'm not a city cat, but aren't libraries generally in _large_ buildings?"

"Yes, but this one might—"

Lion-O never got a chance to finish answering. An ear-splitting, ululating battle cry rent the snowy air, and out from the white haze burst a string of bandits. They wore thick furs over their entire bodies, save for their faces, which ended in long, grizzled snouts and held rows of sharp teeth. They rushed at the Thundercats like maddened beasts, swinging old, but deathly-sharp swords wildly. The one who had sounded the battle cry charged at Lion-O, and their swords clashed with a loud, metallic ring.

"Looks like we found Panthro's watching eyes." The prince heard Nyrris remark grimly nearby, and a bandit let out a whining yelp beneath the smack of her quarterstaff.

"Told you I'm not going crazy!" Panthro roared as he fended off two bandits at once.

Lion-O grimaced, smacking the bandit leader's sword aside. "You picked the wrong week to get on my bad side." he growled.

The bandit leader made a barking laugh as he danced backward. "You are a fool, outlander, to have chosen our territory to invade."

The cats instinctively drew closer to one another, bringing their backs together. Tygra had forgone his whip in favor of his gun, shooting at any bandits who came too close, but he was the only one going on the offensive at such a close range. The rest remained tense, and held their weapons at the ready, and Lion-O could only grit his teeth as he came to realize how bad their situation had turned.

"Whiskers." he swore.

"Time to die, trespassers!" the bandits began to chuckle darkly, slowly circling the cats.

"Look!" Wilykat yelled suddenly, pointing toward the cluster of houses.

Something else was emerging from the small blizzard.

Several figures were appearing out of nowhere, as though simply shimmering into existence. They wore garments of deepest blue and advanced on the bandits with their palms raised and glowing with magical energy, silent as ghosts. The bandits turned to meet the new threat, the Thundercats forgotten, and began to howl in pain as the magic the newcomers held slammed into them. A few tried to fight back, but the figures continued to advance, a threatening wall of blue in the blizzard's forbidding gray, and the bandits quickly fled, disappearing back down the path.

"Okay…Now what?" Tygra murmured aloud.

"Think they're friendly?" Nyrris whispered.

Lion-O lowered the Sword of Omens—surely anything that just saved their tails was worth thanking—and nearly dropped it in shock.

Just like their encounter with Garth, the newcomers were cats! But they were the most unusual cats any of them had ever seen. Their fur was a soft, baby powder-blue flowing into snow-white, marked by beautiful rosette spots. Their darker, ice-blue hair too, held patters of rosette spots, and they wore it down to their waists in intricate braids, both male and female alike. But it was their eyes that were most shocking: outlined in black markings, they held no signs of whites; their large irises simply dominated their eyes, which studied the Thundercats with a measure of wary suspicion.

"Thank you for saving us," Lion-O broke the silence, "I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't shown up."

"Don't thank us just yet, lion," one of the cats said coldly, "You may not be the wolves that prey on our people, but that gives us no reason to simply trust you."

"You will join us," said another just as coldly, "…as our humble guests."

"And if we refuse?" Lion-O challenged. The new cats all turned their large eyes on him, and the lack of white in that icy stare made him shudder.

"You will join us," the same one said confidently, "And we shall the leave the consequences of refusal up to your imaginations."

The twins gulped loudly, and the ice-cats quickly motioned for them all to put away their weapons.

"Just great…" Panthro muttered between clenched teeth. Once their captors seemed satisfied they weren't about to put up a fight, they were marched along like an odd parade toward the cluster of huts in the snow they'd seen earlier.

"Well, we certainly weren't expecting to find more cats up here." Cheetara murmured.

"The feeling is mutual." remarked an elegant voice. The Thundercats looked around as one to face the speaker. One of the ice-cats had drawn just a bit nearer, and was regarding them with deep blue eyes. She was slightly taller than Nyrris, slightly shorter than Lion-O and Tygra, but there was something ageless in her face and an air of a great intellect about her that revealed only Panthro to be older than her. She increased her pace to match theirs, and offered them a smile.

"Few of us have ever seen another cat outside of our own kind. We snow leopards rarely venture from our haven." she explained.

"Haven? What is it you do here in the mountains? Are you warriors or monks of some sort?" Nyrris piped up, and the snow leopard laughed.

"Hardly!" said she, "I personally, am a teacher. Our people have devoted our lives to the pursuit of knowledge. A sound mind makes a sound body."

She suddenly pointed ahead, and the snow leopards at the forefront of their little parade raised their hands to cast magic once more. The Thundercats watched as a massive illusion fell away, like a tapestry being ripped down from its hooks, and a towering stone wall appeared before their eyes, drawing their gasps of astonishment. The snow leopard woman smiled at them in the manner of a quiet show-off, and when she spoke, there was a note of pride in her voice.

"Welcome, travelers, to Conscientia."

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><p>AN: Hope that wasn't TOO much of a cliffhanger for you guys. (My beta reader complains that it was.) Anyhow. R&R please! I'm already working on chapter 5 for you all!


	6. Chapter 5: Conscientia

A/N: Sorry this took so long to upload, but I hope you enjoy the read nonetheless! Anyone wishing to know more about this, you can find this chapter on my dA gallery (the link to find me on there is on my profile on here.) More info is on my dA page anyway. Btw, keep in mind everything you learn about the library of Conscientia and its master librarian! It's crucial, because it plays a key part in a critical plot twist that will occur much later on! R&R if you feel like it!

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><p><span>Chapter 5: Conscientia<span>

Past the gates set in the towering wall, there spread a vast courtyard, leading up frost-coated steps into a small fortress castle. Everywhere there were the people of Conscientia, more of the snow leopards than the eye could count, all of them staring in open surprise.

"Talk about your warm welcomes." Panthro grunted.

Their solemn escort didn't waver, but continued to lead them across the courtyard, and the other ice-cats parted to make them a path. But halfway across, they were assailed again, this time by creatures considerably smaller than the bandits.

"Miss Kuncia! Miss Kuncia!"

Snow leopard cubs, roughly seven or eight in number, rushed toward them, their faces lit up with smiles of relief, and clustered around the cat who'd spoken before.

"Miss Kuncia, did you see them? Did you see the wolves?"

"Did you fight them?"

"You drove them all off, huh?"

The entire procession froze where they stood, small smiles breaking out on the faces of the other adults, and she they called Kuncia beamed.

"We alone cannot take credit for that." she replied, gesturing toward the Thundercats. The children followed her gaze and gasped, their large eyes going wide as they began to whisper excitedly.

"New cats!"

"_Other_ cats!"

"Her fur is so…so…_golden_!"

"His _hair_! It looks like his whole head's on fire!"

"Look! Kittens! Kittens like us!"

"Look at that one, he's got _stripes_! Have any of you guys seen stripes before?"

"_Her_ spots look like runemarks!"

Then they all paused, tilting their necks back just a tad, and hushed, staring up at Panthro.

"Wh-what?" he asked, stunned. One of the cubs made a tiny squeak and Kuncia smiled at her favorably.

"Yes, Rosetta?"

The little snow leopard girl shuffled forward nervously, and tried to hide behind her hands as she addressed the huge warrior.

"Um…we were all just wondering…Are…Are you a giant?" she squeaked.

There was a brief second of pause, then all of the adults, even the stony-faced ice-cat men, burst into laughter. Rosetta's face fell a little bit.

"Did…did I say something wrong?" she asked Kuncia, though it was Panthro who answered.

"Hardly! But what makes you ask that?"

"Well…we're studying myths, and…" Rosetta trailed off, her gaze dropping to her feet.

"The myths say the giants are _huge_!" one of the boy cubs chimed in.

"But we've never seen a giant!" said another cub toward the back.

"And _you're_ the biggest person we've ever seen!" Rosetta finished, having regained her confidence.

Panthro chuckled. "No, I'm no giant," he replied, a mischievous twinkle in his eye, "But I've met some before…and they're three times _bigger_ than I am!"

The eyes of the cubs went huge with unbridled awe as they stared at Panthro, and it took one of their captors clearing his throat rather loudly to get them to scatter.

"This way to the guest chambers." he said coolly, leading them up the stone steps. They followed calmly, sobered once more, but several glances over their shoulders brought small smiles to all their faces; Kuncia's students trotted along several yards behind, not about to be swayed.

"I know you said few of you venture out of this place," Lion-O addressed Kuncia, "But have they really never seen other cats before?"

"Our kittens have never seen anything beyond the wolves that attack us, the goats that trade with us, and our home, both clan and hearth." another of the snow leopard women in the escort party replied. "What they know of other cats, they have learned from their studies."

"Our people revere knowledge above all else, and that thirst for learning is taught at a young age." Kuncia explained, glancing at each of the Thundercats in turn. "My students are encouraged to absorb as much knowledge as they are able."

The inside of the castle was largely unremarkable, the high stone walls disappearing into the shadows that swallowed the ceiling, and except for the torches burning in brackets mounted on the walls, the people of Conscientia made no effort to decorate. The hall before them continued only a short distance before ending in a set of ornately carved double doors. Lion-O and Tygra both strained to get a better look, guessing the room beyond to be some manner of throne room or antechamber, but their guards let them down a hall to the right. The group passed more snow leopards as they walked, the ice cats usually strolling in twos or threes, always conversing, always stopping to take in the sight of alien cats roaming their halls.

"I see no marks or signs of rank or station," Cheetara said slowly, drawing a quizzical look from the snow leopard in the very front.

"We know of societies that use such systems," he declared, "But we rarely consider such things. Conscientia is a republic of scholars, if indeed we are anything. The only true ranks we acknowledge are those of the Elders, who guide us, and even they wear no mark of rank beyond the lines that time has etched into their features."

"Elders?" Nyrris echoed, ears pricking up a bit.

"Yes," he answered, "They will join together to form the Council of Elders when needed." He glanced over his shoulder, his cold, disdainful gaze sweeping through them. "As they shall no doubt do once they learn of your presence. Ah, here we are."

He stopped before a door and opened it, gesturing for them to enter. The room beyond also had a high ceiling, two stiff-looking beds positioned before a fireplace, a small table that stood waist-high, and several chairs scattered about. The twins raced inside and immediately dove upon one of the beds. The older cats followed a bit more reluctantly, none of them still very thrilled at the apparent "hospitality."

"Wait here until we return to bring you before the Council." the lead cat said coolly before marching away. Kuncia spared a second to throw a grimace at his back before returning her blue-eyed gaze to them all.

"Don't mind Niveus," she said gently, "He comes off as having all the warmth of a glacier, but he means well, truly."

"How long are we to be kept here?" Lion-O asked.

"Until the Council is ready to speak with you." she answered.

"And when will that be?" Cheetara jumped in.

"I cannot say for sure, but my best guess would be in a few hours," Kuncia replied, favoring the young cleric with a smile, "I shall have the midday meal brought to you."

And then she left, shutting the door behind her with a gentle click. The cats began to take chairs and Nyrris fell into one with the ghost of a shiver.

"I've never seen cats with eyes that have no whites before," she murmured, staring at the oaken panels of the door.

"Neither have I." said Lion-O.

"I," Panthro spoke up in a ringing voice, "Happen to think she has lovely eyes."

All the others turned to face him, eyebrows shooting up to their hairlines, and he quickly added, "They. They have lovely eyes. I said 'they,' now quit lookin' at me like that."

"If we could get back to the point at hand," Tygra sighed, "Just in the event you've all forgotten, we're their prisoners."

"You're right." Lion-O said soberly, turning to face them.

"They sure do treat their prisoners nice." Wilykat remarked, waving his hand to indicate the room.

"So what's the plan, Lion-O?" Nyrris asked, tossing him an encouraging smile.

"Something tells me they won't keep us as prisoners," he said slowly, "Not after we speak with this Council and tell them who we are and what we're looking for."

"Are you sure they'll just give up any knowledge they have on the spirit stones?" Cheetara asked.

The look Lion-O gave her was chilly enough it would have done Niveus and the other snow leopards proud. "That's why I'm planning on asking nicely."

"Hey, Lion-O!" Nyrris exclaimed suddenly, her eyes going wide, "You said we have to unite all the animals to defeat Mumm-Ra, right? Are you going to ask the snow leopards to join us?"

"I've been thinking about it," he replied seriously, "It wouldn't hurt to try."

"True," Panthro said, "But I wouldn't expect a lot from them, so don't get your hopes up."

"What do you mean?" Wilykit asked.

"Have you taken a good look at these people?" Panthro responded, his eyes sweeping over them all as his mechanical arms clicked and whirred softly. "These people are intellectuals; they only fight to defend themselves. With the exception of some unruly neighbors, they've been living up here secluded, in isolation. Do you really think they're going to see our side of things if we ask them to leave the relative safety and security of their secret little home here?"

The words hung on the air for a long time, dragging down the atmosphere with their weight, until at last Lion-O met Panthro's eyes.

"That doesn't mean we shouldn't try." he said firmly, receiving a grim smile of approval.

Any further discussion that may have followed was interrupted by a soft knock on the door, and before any of them could respond, it swung inward to admit eight little snow leopards, carrying trays of food and practically beaming with pride.

"FOOD!" the twins shouted. Snarf, who had been hiding in the folds of Wilykat's knapsack, poked his head out with a trill, nose wriggling at the smell of lunch, and the ice kittens stared at him in surprise.

"Whoa!" one of them exclaimed.

"This was _totally_ worth the sneaking!" said another of them.

"I told you so!" one of the girls huffed.

"What sneaking?" Tygra asked, raising an eyebrow and smiling knowingly.

"Are you cubs up to something you shouldn't be?" Lion-O teased, putting on his best serious face, obviously trying not to chuckle. At once, all of Kuncia's students laid their ears back, wearing expressions of guilt and extreme embarrassment.

"Well," said the tallest boy, "We were supposed to remain in the village square. But we came inside and fetched midday meal from the kitchens to sneak it to you."

"Really?" Wilykat asked, snatching up a pastry and taking a huge bite out of it. "Whyzzat?"

The girl they knew as Rosetta beamed at him as she set down a teatray. "We want to get to know you all better! We hardly get to see anyone new!"

Kat choked on the pastry and started coughing as his sister rushed to his aid, thumping his back vigorously, and when he finally recovered, he blushed furiously and avoided Rosetta's gaze.

"I think perhaps now would be a good time for introductions." Cheetara smiled at the others.

"Lion-O. Lord of the Thundercats."

"Call me Tygra, kids."

"I am Cheetara."

"Nyrris Ocelotti, at your service!"

"My name's Wilykit, and this is my big brother, Kat! Oh, and this is Snarf!"

The snow leopard cubs watched eagerly, smiling and bobbing their heads, then turned and looked expectantly at the largest figure, seated on the edge of one of the beds, his arms crossed.

"Panthro." he said simply, and thus opened a small floodgate of introductions from the snow leopard cubs. Over the course of the next hour, the Thundercats alternately answered a nonstop stream of questions and became better acquainted with each of the cubs.

Rosetta's name was already known to them, and it became clear she was something of a class prodigy in a class of prodigies. She was nonetheless friendly and bright, willing to answer as many questions as she asked. Accendo, the tallest of the cubs, was also friendly, and took quickly to both Tygra and Panthro. Judging by his build and demeanor, he would grow into a gentle giant, and his admiration of Panthro in particular came as no surprise. Lente was a rotund and cheerful cub, and they all quickly learned he was something of a hugger. Nyrris took a liking to him, as he reminded her strongly of her uncle, and Lente proceeded to spend most of the time telling the ocelot woman every joke he knew. Ocius was a tad more slender than the others, and as hyperactive as if he'd been raised eating candyfruit every day with breakfast. Full of restless energy, he barely sat still, and directed most of his questions at Lion-O. Perhaps the most bold, (and slightly pompous) of the cubs was Regina. She made it very clear very quickly that she did _not_ like to think she was being ignored, but she was nice enough after she opened up, and as she interacted, she watched Cheetara intently, as though she were the pinnacle of instruction on how to be an adult. Fortuno was the only cub who stuck out like a sore thumb: a sort of crutch strapped to each of his forearms marked him apart from his classmates, and it was for that reason alone that he hadn't come in bearing a plate of food. He was a delightful boy however, eager to explain his disability and how he was working on trying to overcome it. Still, he spent the hour seated in one of the chairs, to take the pressure off his arms. Mellita, out of them all, was the most shy and perhaps a bit timid. After several minutes of talking, she still had difficulty meeting anyone's eyes, and she only asked her questions in the tiniest, most tentative whispers. Sometimes, she didn't even ask at first, but would dart furtive glances at Rosetta or Regina, as though seeking approval for what she was about to say. But after some time and a lot of coaxing, she began to warm up. The last of the cubs was Exigo, an incredibly quiet boy who had arrived wearing a pair of spectacles on his nose with a book tucked under one arm. He rarely spoke, and when he did, it startled the Thundercats, who kept forgetting he was there. Still, he was as big a sweetheart as Mellita, with an easy-going smile.

And then abruptly, the hour had ended, and the door opened once more to admit the stern-faced Niveus. His eyes swept over the snow leopard cubs in the room and his eyebrows shot up to meet his hairline, but he merely turned to address Lion-O.

"The Council is ready to speak with you."

Lion-O and Cheetara stepped forward, and Tygra and Nyrris rose from their chairs, but Niveus's hand shot up in a gesture meant to halt, and they all stopped, hesitating. His eyes blinked once in a look that meant business, then he slowly turned his head back to regard Lion-O.

"Just you." he said in a tone that brooked no arguments. Lion-O hesitated, flustered, and shot a glance of apology over his shoulder at the others as he followed Niveus out of the room. The door shut behind them with a click, and the older cats immediately swung around to face one another.

"Okay, what in the name of the Abyss was _that_ about?" Nyrris demanded.

"I'm not used to having to speak in my defense before anyone, but I should think this Council would want to speak to us all. It would better confirm our story." Cheetara said.

"They might still do that," Panthro interjected, "Could be wanting to cross-examine us. It's not always a wise idea to have a group of potential conspirators in one room together if you're going to question them."

"But we're not conspirators!" Tygra objected.

"Yeah?" Panthro's words were edged with the sound of a challenge, "Why don't you try looking at it from their perspective?"

At this, they all fell quiet, and the silence spread between them for a good long minute. Finally, they looked back at their little visitors, who were deep in conversation with the Wily twins.

"What are you all talking about?" Nyrris asked kindly, grabbing their attention. But a glint in Kat and Kit's eyes told the adults a bit too much.

"We were just about to talk to our new friends about El-Dara!" Kit exclaimed.

"Oh, geez." Tygra groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Not this again!" Panthro sighed, throwing his hands up in clanking exasperation.

"El-Dara?" all the ice kittens chorused.

"We've heard about that in our studies!" Lente blurted.

"The city of treasure!" Regina murmured with a far-off look in her eyes.

"But no one's ever found it." Accendo pointed out.

"Exactly!" Wilykat said, planting his fists on his hips and puffing out his chest importantly. "That's why Kit and I are going to be the first!"

"Oh!" Mellita whispered, smiling shyly at the twins, "It sounds like a wonderful adventure!"

"We'll help you!" Rosetta said brightly, bringing a blush to Kat's cheeks. "Right, everyone?" The other cubs all began to nod their consent, then slowly turned to face Exigo, who pushed his spectacles a little further up on the bridge of his nose.

"There are probably books on El-Dara in the library," he said carefully, "And I'm sure Master Consilius won't mind helping us find them."

The twins cracked identical grins and all the kittens started cheering.

"It sounds like a waste of time and a pain in the tail, if you ask me." Tygra muttered out of the corner of his mouth to Cheetara.

"Now now, let them be cubs." she scolded him, though she couldn't quite supress her giggle. For a while, they all simply sat and watched as Kat and Kit cleared a table and outlined their plans to show the snow leopard cubs, which actually turned out to be rather detailed. At different points, one of the ice kittens would interrupt, on the basis of either pointing out a minor flaw or asking a question, which would set them all to work on solving things at once. Still, the topic of the twins' wish to find El-Dara kept them all busy, at least until Lion-O returned.

He pushed open the door slowly, and all fell silent at the grim expression on his face.

"How did it go?" Tygra asked tentatively. Lion-O slowly raised his blue eyes, his jaw working carefully before he answered.

"That depends." He said in a flat voice. "Do you want the good news or the bad news first?"

The adults all looked at one another, then nodded, and Tygra answered, "Bad."

Lion-O sighed, his shoulders sagged, and he lowered himself into a chair, suddenly looking much older than his eighteen years. "The snow leopards aren't going to join us. They see no intelligence in marching against Mumm-Ra's armies…not when they feel the greater need to protect the safety and security of their home here."

Kuncia's class fell silent and dropped their gazes to the floor, looking somewhat guilty on behalf of their elders and relatives.

"I did warn you they would probably take that stance." Panthro said sympathetically.

"I know," the prince said quietly, staring at the Sword of Omens in its sheath on the gauntlet, "I guess I still hoped that maybe one of them would see the bigger picture. But I can't blame them either. They have families, homes to protect here, and I can't be selfish in light of that."

His gaze dropped to his feet as he bent at the waist and hung his head, his hands clasping, elbows on his knees in regret.

"I can only hope that fate is kind enough to prevent the lizard army from finding this place."

A long pause followed, and finally Nyrris spoke up, working an encouraging smile onto her face as she addressed him.

"And what's the good news?"

Lion-O raised his head, and a faint smile began to form on his features.

"We have access to their library. The master librarian says he's going to help us find what we need about the warstones."

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><p>Master Librarian Consilius was a kind, quiet old snow leopard who greeted them warmly on their entering the library, leaning on an odd, crooked staff from which hung a tiny lantern. The semi-circular library had a domed roof with huge glass panels to let in light during the day, but several lanterns were mounted on the walls and dangled from chains affixed to hooks from the frame of the dome, and Consilius explained that he and his assistants lit these at sunset, so anyone wishing to continue reading would be able to do so with plenty of light. And, being the Master Librarian, Consilius alone snuffed them at the twelfth hour, when the library doors closed.<p>

"Doesn't it tire you, working so late at your age?" Cheetara asked him gently, but the old snow leopard's face creased with a kind smile.

"Hardly. I take my days of rest, and I nap from time to time to keep up with what energy I need to do what I must. I am not so weak and helpless as you may think, my dear." he answered before turning to Lion-O. "Now, you said you were looking for information on mystic objects you call…warstones?"

"And the city of El-Dara!" Wilykat jumped in before the prince could answer. Consilius blinked in surprise, then turned to face the train of cubs that had entered the library, noticing them for the first time.

"Oh my." he said, adjusting the spectacles on his nose. "Oh, dear. I hadn't realized our young scholars were helping you with your search as well."

"They aren't." Lion-O said in a voice tense with irritation as he shot the Wily twins a glare.

"El-Dara is a project of mine and my brother's, sir." Kit answered sweetly, "And our new friends here were going to help us find out as much as they could."

"Well, then I should assist you as well." Consilius said with a knowing half-smile, shaking his head slightly. "After all, cubs will be cubs."

"What? What about the warstones?" Tygra asked.

"I'll be but a few minutes." Consilius replied, and as he motioned gently with his staff, two younger snow leopards seemed to appear from behind a bookcase. "Alba and Nigerus here can get you started and point you in the right direction."

And with that, Consilius allowed the twins and Kuncia's excited class to pull him along, chattered excitedly about the lost city of treasure. The two assistant librarians, one a young woman whose coloring was lighter than most snow leopards, the other a young man whose coloring was considerably darker, looked at the Thundercats and offered apologetic smiles.

"Please," said the one called Alba, starting to walk alongside them, "Forgive Consilius. We can assist you in any way you need."

"I heard what they're after," Nigerus said abruptly, "Follow me."

"Is there any particular reason that El-Dara takes precedence over finding information on a key part of defeating Mumm-Ra?" Panthro grumbled.

"Master Consilius has always been that way, even since _we_ were cubs." Nigerus replied.

"He always insists on helping the children first, to find whatever they are looking for." Alba said, then began, in a voice that said she'd heard it often enough to quote by heart, " 'A young mind thirsting for knowledge—'"

" 'Must always be indulged first, for they are like starving creatures that must be cared for.'" Nigerus joined in. "Consilius will never turn down a child asking for help finding something in his library. And especially not Miss Kuncia's class; they're in here all the time. I think they keep the old fellow young at heart. But don't worry; he'll be back soon."

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><p>Sometime after the fourth bell, Kuncia arrived in the library, not totally surprised to find her students deep in the throws of researching El-Dara with the Thunderkittens. She stopped by their table briefly and tapped on the wood gently, startling them all.<p>

"You really must be returning home by now, my students. Class is dismissed. Your parents will start to worry." she said with a smile, even less surprised to be met with a chorus of disappointed groaning. She merely smiled wider; she knew that her students, like it or not, would return home when told. She left their table, seeking out where their strange visitors would be doing their own reading. At a quick glance, she couldn't find them, but one of the assistant librarians, Alba, appeared from behind a bookcase, and Kuncia flagged her down.

"Could you take me to our…guests? I'm interested to see how their progress is going." she asked, and the younger snow leopard was too happy to oblige. She lead the teacher to a far corner of the library, where one of the larger round tables occupied space in front of two caddy-cornered bookcases that stretched up to the bottom of the glass ceiling. Seated at the table were young Lion-O and Cheetara, who were alternately pouring over huge tomes sat out before them and then copying down on sheaves of paper anything they found that seemed of significance. Tygra had risen from doing the same, returning a book to its case and pulling out another one. Nyrris was seated precariously on the top of one of the sliding ladders that rolled along the bookcases, intently reading a smaller volume. And the towering Panthro was assisting old Consilius in trying to light one of the higher lamps, in order to give a little more illumination to their corner.

"How goes your studies?" Kuncia asked, and they all looked up in surprise.

"Slowly." Lion-O replied.

"_Too_ slowly." Tygra corrected with a grumble. He glanced over at Kuncia for a second, then tossed her a smile that, quite possibly, could have charmed several women his own age. "Did you come to keep us company?"

Faster than most of them could follow, the butt end of a staff smacked the tiger in the back of his head none-too-gently, and Cheetara buried her face behind a book that didn't quite cover her full glare. Kuncia merely smiled indulgently at him.

"Oh, sweetheart," she said coolly, "I'm sorry, but you're a bit _too_ young for me."

Lion-O and Nyrris were abruptly overcome with a very odd sneezing fit that sounded suspiciously like snickering, and Panthro's eyes briefly met Kuncia's as he offered her an approving grin.

"I have, however, dismissed my students, and am willing to offer any help that I can in order to assist you on your search for this information."

"Thank you," Lion-O said with a genuine smile, "You have no idea how much we appreciate your offer."

"Tell me, what exactly is it you're looking for?"

He lifted the gauntlet in response, catching everyone's attention, and indicated the rose-colored stone that marked the center above the claws.

"There are four warstones total. We already have this one, and the Eye of Thundera has been in the Sword of Omens for as long as any of us can remember. But there are two more we must find; a green stone, and a blue one as well. I'm not worried about mystic properties in general, but I'm hoping that if we read on the different locations around Third Earth, we'll be able to pinpoint a clue leading us to the next stone." he replied. "Your Master Librarian was kind enough to lend us what we needed to jot down notes."

Kuncia turned and smiled at the old snow leopard, who smiled just as warmly back. "Master Consilius has always been the helpful sort, even when I was a cub."

"This whole thing sounds like a massive scavenger hunt, if you ask me." Panthro remarked, coming over to glance at the notes the younger cats had written. "We've been trying to copy down anything that jumps out at us, anything that mentions unusual gems or stones found somewhere. Here, take a look at some of these. Is any of this making some kind of sense?"

But before she could even get a good look at the notes, a shrill, high-pitched ringing sound rent the air, nearly shattering everyone's eardrums. Instinctively, the Thundercats covered their ears, but Kuncia and Consilius looked at each other in horrified alarm. From behind a row of bookcases, the Wily twins came running to meet them, their tails puffing out in fright, Snarf close on their heels, whimpering and laying his ears back flat.

"What's happening?" Lion-O asked, shakily getting to his feet and yelling to be heard over the terrible sound. "What's going on?"

"Our village!" Consilius shouted. "That's the alarm!"

"The village is under attack!" Kuncia cried.

At once, all of the cats rose into a ready stance, their faces set with determination as they reached for their weapons.

"We're helping." Lion-O declared, the full mantle of his leadership shining through in that moment.

"Finally!" Panthro said with a budding grin, "Some action! I was starting to get bored!"


	7. Chapter 6: Under Attack!

A/N: I just wanted to give a quick thank-you shout-out to everyone who's been reading and reviewing this so far. A couple of you have disabled private message replies, so I just wanted to say thanks for all the encouragement and kind words! I'll do my best to get the next chapter up soon!

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><p><span>Chapter 6: Under Attack!<span>

The wolves had long been at odds with the snow leopards, considering the cats to be invaders, thieves of their territory. Had any of their ancestors still been living, they would have gently reminded the wolves of this day and age that none of them ever lived in the area that was now Conscientia. It was simply unfavorable to them in numerous ways, and many of the wolves of generations past would have thought it a small matter to let the cats keep the space.

But Tallus Redclaw of the mountain wolf bandits refused to see this. The snow leopards were the invaders and always would be. It was his duty to show this to his wolves, in hopes of one day eradicating the pesky trespassers. Even with the addition of these new foreign cats to aid them, he would crush the snow leopards beneath his sword if he had to do so with his dying breath.

It was his destiny.

And as his bandits began laying waste to Conscientia with tooth, blade, poison and fire, his muzzle turned upward in a cruel smile.

* * *

><p>Shouts of dismay and cries of pain filled the air as the Thundercats raced outside of the main fortress, mingling in the growing curtain of dark smoke. Flashes of multi-colored lights slashed through the smoke here and there, marking the spots where several of the ice-cats faced down their attackers, fighting back as best they could with their magic. But even through the hazy gloom, Lion-O could tell they had been taken by surprise, and it was all several of the snow leopards could do to keep up their meager defenses. Panthro had been right: these people knew little of the art of war.<p>

Fury built in the young prince's heart and the corded muscles in his legs surged with energy as he broke into a charge, drawing the Sword of Omens.

"THUNDERCATS! HOOOOOOOOOO!"

Several of the enemies in the immediate area looked up in shock, and he caught the first completely off-guard, smacking him in the jaw with the flat of the blade. The impact sent his opponent's helmet flying in the recoil, and he realized in bitter anger what was going on.

The wolves were back.

"Don't let them fool you, men!" the leader cried from much farther away, his voice carrying across the smoke-choked field, "They're only a few more cats with a deathwish painted on their chests like targets!"

"You take the mouthy one," Tygra said somewhere near Lion-O, though his brother couldn't see him, "I've got the ugly one."

"Right. So which one's the ugly one?" the younger prince chuckled dryly, swinging at one of the wolves who started to charge him. Somewhere close at hand, they heard Cheetara race by, smacking into a number of thugs who'd been trying to form a ring around them. Panthro charged by in the next moment, his _nunchaku_ whirling through the air with a high-pitched whistling sound before slamming into a bandit like a striking grass snake. Lion-O barely had time to register this before two more brigands came at him, one wielding a morningstar, the other a pair of daggers. He had a split second of hesitation; it didn't matter if he moved to block the morningstar or the daggers, because one was meant to distract him so the other could take advantage of the opening.

"You take the left, I've got the right!"

He moved without thinking, tilting the sword into an angled parry, catching the morningstar between the spikes, sliding the blade through and smacking it forward with enough force to send the wolf reeling back as their weapons disconnected. At the exact same moment, Nyrris had charged to his side, and smacked her quarterstaff up to block one of the other wolf's daggers before she dropped to the ground and kicked up with her palms into a backhand spring, her heels connecting with her adversary's jaw. A grin came over Lion-O's face as he swung the Sword of Omens overhead, taking the offensive and driving his foe back.

"Try to cut a path through to their leader!" Lion-O roared, and he sensed the others around him redoubling their efforts, slowly slipping from their current vantage into the offensive like he had. New energy entered Panthro's roars as he smashed wolves right and left, the various machinations of his mechanical arms causing as much damage as his favored weapons. Tygra slipped back and forth with his visibility, catching enemies by surprise with stinging smacks of his whip and shots from a firearm none could see. Cheetara's mystic staff from the forest of Magi Oar hummed with its latent magic, calling up plant roots from deep beneath the earth to ensnare the bandits in its enchanted growth. Even the twins entered the fray, Kat's flail tripping as many foes as Kit's discordant music confused. Slowly, the wolves began to fall back, and for a moment, the cats thought they'd won.

"COWARDS!" the leader screamed in outrage. "Fire on them! Fire on them all!"

The brigand wolves reacted almost unconsciously, reaching into pouches, to belts, into knapsacks, gripping diminutive, indistinguishable objects that they flung into the air with abandon. The first of them hit the ground with a small explosion, orange flames bursting from the small capsule, growing like plants at the touch of air. Several more smacked into the ground, flames leaping into the air eagerly, merging as the fires spread. But before Lion-O even had time to freeze in horror, the snow leopards charged forward, spreading their hands in arcane gestures as frost and snow born of magic burst from their fingertips.

"Beware, Prince of Thundera!" called a voice, and Lion-O and Tygra both spun to face Niveus, who was running to the aid of another leopard to smother flames. "Their green capsules contain a poison gas!"

Instantly all of the Thundercats reacted, falling back and covering their hands with their faces, defenses snapping back in place as they evaded the onslaught of the venomous inhalant. The leader of the wolves began to shout in preemptive triumph from his position, thinking victory at hand. Lion-O gritted his teeth in irritation, sucked in a breath of clean air and held it, then reacted on instinct, charging forward. The bandits flinched in shock, and he raced through their lines, intent only on their commander, whose expression of greedy conquest changed to one of horrified alarm. The prince kicked off the ground, leaping into the air, bringing the Sword of Omens above his head before he came crashing down in a full swing, the pommel of the sword crushing the wolf's shoulder, bone shattering as the bandit howled in unbridled pain. Lion-O let out a challenging roar and smacked him away with the flat of the blade, the wolf rolling head over heels through the snow before he even had a chance to draw his sword.

"Give it up," Lion-O growled at him, leveling the point of his sword at throat point as he slowly advanced, "You've been oppressing the snow leopards for too long instead of acting in the mutual interests of both your peoples."

His foe only let out a small whine of pain, and the wolves standing around remained stock-still, frozen in mid-action for fear of the life of their captain. A tense silence followed for several moments as the brigand struggled to his feet, favoring his broken shoulder and whimpering with each motion as it brought forth new waves of pain. Finally, teeth gritted and bared, he barked a command to his brigand band.

"Fall back! Flee, you dogs! Flee!"

Immediately the wolves tore away from Conscientia as fast as their feet could carry them, two of them stopping only to assist their fallen superior. The tension began to seep out of Lion-O's frame as he watched them go, confident they would not bother the snow leopards further.

But it wasn't entirely over.

As several of the snow leopards set to trying to recover their fallen, a loud scream of terror—a child's scream—pierced the air. All of the cats spun at once.

One of the buildings, barely half a second story above its ground floor, was on fire on the lower level, ringed by a wreath of rising green smoke. A second scream confirmed there was indeed a cub trapped within, on the second floor. Blood ran cold through all of them.

"Rosetta!" Niveus yelled, rushing forward, only to have two of the ice-cats hold him back.

"Niveus, you fool!" one of them shouted at him, "Think! If you rush in there to save your daughter now, you'll die!"

"If I don't, _she'll_ die!" he roared back.

Lion-O glanced over to Cheetara, Nyrris, and his brother, meeting each of their eyes, their expressions matching his own as they desperately tried to think of what to do. But before a single one of them could speak, a blur shot toward the burning building, smashing into the door.

"PANTHRO!" the Wilytwins yelled, and Lion-O thought for a moment his heart would stop. Flames burst from the door as the veteran warrior disappeared, the fire blazing and roaring with new life. From within, Rosetta screamed once more, and silence fell. Each second passed as slow as eternity, grating on the nerves of every soul.

And then, riding the force of an explosion in the upper floor, Panthro burst out of building's windows, leaping high into the air. For a moment, he was suspended, a fearsome silhouette with black smoke and flames glowing at his back, legs tucked up underneath him as his outstretched arms clawed over his head, light glinting faintly off his bared teeth. And then he fell, throwing his weight forward and over, flipping perfectly in the air before he went rolling and bouncing across the snow-covered ground.

"Panthro!"

Lion-O rushed to help him, Tygra and Nyrris at his side, Cheetara ahead of them all with the twins, the snow leopards bringing up the rear. Panthro had finally come to a stop on his stomach, groaning lightly as he stirred. Clinging to his back like a leech, arms flung around his thick neck and face wrapped in a drenched cloth, was a trembling, crying snow leopard cub they recognized from earlier.

"Rosetta!" Niveus sobbed as he broke free from his colleagues and rushed to the fallen cats, reaching to pull his daughter off the panther. A surge of irritation at the ice-cat welled up in Lion-O, but he shoved it aside as he knelt next to Panthro.

"Are you okay?" he asked, but even before the words finished leaving his mouth, he knew he spoke too soon. The snow was stained a wet red from the warrior's dry coughing, and blood trickled freely from his mouth and nose as he wheezed and struggled to reply.

"Panthro!" Tygra shouted, crouching next to his brother. "He needs help!"

"It's too late. He's inhaled too much of the gas." one of the snow leopards declared, starting to shake her head.

"Silence! Get him to the infirmary!" Niveus roared at the other ice-cats, eyes narrowing in anger, "He saved my daughter's life, you fool, and by thunder, I will see to it we save his life in return!"

* * *

><p>His head swam with drowsy, barely lucid snatches of thought, the sort a sick person has during a fever-dream. There was no sense of direction, no up or down, night or day, no passage of time whatsoever. He opened his eyes from time to time, but though he knew he was seeing something, his mind refused to capture the images and hold them. Sounds eluded him, and any sensation he had, he couldn't tell apart from the sore pain he felt throughout his body.<p>

But then the smells returned. He knew he had been breathing before, but his nose wasn't registering individual scents, until he caught a faint whiff of lemongrass. It passed quickly, but he refused to let go of it, taking another deep breath, desperate to know he had a solid anchor on something.

There it was again; lemongrass, and this time with another scent. Sandalwood, if he wasn't mistaken. He inhaled deeply, letting the fragrances fill his lungs, taking several deep breaths, until at last he opened his eyes again.

His vision was blurry, indistinct, but he could nonetheless tell that someone was watching him. The figure stirred and came closer, leaning over him, but he still couldn't make out any features. A cool hand brushed his forehead, then a damp cloth replaced it, cooling an unpleasant heat he hadn't realized was ailing him. He wheezed, desperate to ask questions, but he couldn't even make a breathy croak, his throat stung so sharply. Then there was a gentle voice, and though he couldn't tell what the exact words were, he knew they were ordering him to rest. He shut his eyes again, falling deep into dreams he wouldn't remember when he woke.

For her part, Kuncia kept the cloth pressed firmly to Panthro's forehead, allowing herself a small smile as the panther finally relaxed. She looked back over her shoulder at the other Thundercats, who were watching patiently, anxious worry displayed openly on their faces.

"He's stable. He'll be fine, he just needs his rest." she murmured quietly, shifting the bowls of scented water to better allow the aroma to heal his lungs.

She didn't order them to leave, but they knew a dismissal when they heard one, and one by one, they each slipped out the door, leaving the room in silence once more. Kuncia watched them go quietly, and the ideas that had been nagging her mind since Lion-O's meeting with the Council formed into a solid decision, one she intended to see through, with or without the Council's blessing. That choice being made, she refocused her attention and resumed tending to Panthro, keeping a vigilant eye on her patient throughout the night.

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><p>Nyrris was perched once more atop a sliding ladder three days later, pouring over a book of shaman magic Consilius had selected for her. Lion-O and Tygra had stumbled across a passage in a tome that made mention of a mysterious blue stone further to the west, past the Dead Plains, and they had all consented that was where they would head, once Panthro had recovered. Therefore, until the old warrior was back on his feet, she had a bit of time to kill, and was more than eager for an opportunity to read. The others were also scattered across the library, each looking up something of their own, and after the events of a few days before, they were all glad for the silence.<p>

"Snarr…snarr…snarr..."

Well, the relative silence, in Nyrris's case. She glanced at Snarf, curled up in a rather large gap between the books on a shelf to her right, napping peacefully, and couldn't suppress a smile. She couldn't deny that, though she missed her family, she was a great deal happier than she could remember being since her parents disappeared.

"And what use does an uneducated heathen like you have for our precious tomes?"

The voice came from below, and Nyrris peered over the edges of her book to glance down at two snooty-looking snow leopards she'd not seen before, who were glaring up at her with expressions of utmost disdain.

"I can read." she replied simply.

"Yes," said the male dryly, "And I'm quite sure the pictures help you along, don't they?"

"I can't understand _why_ Master Consilius would allow untaught gypsy vandals like yourself inside the library, _let alone_ put your doubtless soiled paws all over the precious books!" the female sniffed derisively. "I would hazard a guess he is losing his mind. You nomads can't even begin to appreciate the wealth of knowledge stored in books, and—"

"I don't know why you're making a fuss," Nyrris interrupted calmly, "Especially since you snow leopards love to spout about encouraging everyone to learn. Yes, my family doesn't have a lot of books, which is why I always read when I find a new one. Sounds to me like you're not just possessive, but you take your books for granted, too. Now if you've got a real problem, please tell me; otherwise, let me read in peace, okay?"

Their eyes widened in shock and outrage as they paled, clamping their mouths shut. For an instant, it looked as though they might pursue a fight with her, but at last the female stormed off in an indignant huff, and her partner scrambled after her, evidently looking to console her. Nyrris watched them go with a mirthful smile of satisfaction, when she noticed Kuncia looking up at her, a smile spreading over her features.

"Well-spoken." she said, but her expression was still so chilly, Nyrris couldn't tell if the older cat approved or not. She merely shrugged and shook it off.

"How's Panthro doing?" she asked at once, and at the mention of his name, the other Thundercats seemed to immediately flock to that section of the library, while Kuncia's smile grew warmer.

"He's sitting up and talking. Rosetta has gone to thank him, and, if I'm not mistaken, she, Mellita, and Regina mentioned something about making him charm bracelets as a get-well-soon gift." she answered.

"Panthro's talking?" Lion-O asked, "What did he say?"

Kuncia immediately began laughing, covering her hand with her mouth, and replied, "His first words when he woke were, 'How many of 'em did I get?'"

They all burst out laughing, and the two princes exchanged grins that spread from ear to ear. "Yep. Good old Panthro, all right," Tygra chuckled. "Remembers his priorities."

"I'd say that means he's feeling much better." Cheetara said with a smile.

"Then if he's ready, we'll leave tomorrow," Lion-O declared, meeting everyone's eyes to find consent. Finally, he turned back to Kuncia, and Consilius, who had approached while they were laughing. "Thank you for your help. All of you. You have no idea what this means to us."

"What are you talking about?" Kuncia said, her smile growing steadily wider. "Surely you don't expect you're going to _just_ leave."

The Thundercats glanced at one another, taken aback by her words.

"I've just left a meeting with the Council," Kuncia explained, "And they have given me leave to follow you on your journey, that I may see more of the world beyond Conscientia, and learn of this supposed…threat of a lizard army and Mumm-Ra."

"They have?" Lion-O asked, startled.

"Yes," Consilius jumped in, "And it would be an honor if you would allow Miss Kuncia to follow you."

Nyrris glanced at Lion-O and clicked her tongue to get his attention. "You couldn't convince all the snows to side with us, but this sounds like a good thing." she remarked. "Maybe if Kuncia brings them back proof, the snow leopards will join us."

"She's got a point." Tygra added, making his brother chuckle.

"Why not?" Lion-O said, "It's worth a shot."

"Welcome to the crew, Miss Kuncia." Cheetara smiled at her.

* * *

><p>The image of the cats and their newest companions rippled and wavered on the lavender surface, disappearing under the order of a single thought, shimmering as it brought a clan of wolves into view, licking their wounds from the short-lived skirmish with the snow leopards of Conscientia and their new allies. The angry light of pain was a fire in many of their eyes, and none more so than their leader, a Tallus Redclaw by name. A healer was tending to his injured shoulder, shattered by a blow from the Sword of Omens, and his face was the portrait of absolute fury.<p>

Perfect. He would make for a very useful pawn, in time.

"Do you wish me to send a messenger to this Tallus Redclaw, master?" Slithe asked, skulking somewhere nearby.

"…No. The cold would best your messenger before he reached the snow. We will have ample time to make an ally of these wolves."

"Of course, master." Slithe agreed more than readily.

The surface of the lavender cauldron became solid and opaque once more as he released the scrying spell and spun away, the trailing, frayed edges of his long robes brushing the floor with a soft whisper.

"Master?" Slithe asked. But the prompt for a response went ignored as he continued moving past the obese lizard, his mind set on other matters that needed tending to. There was a moment's pause, then the soft tramping of feet echoed behind him, indicating his general was following. Not that it mattered. Slithe was useless with what he was about to do, but if he chose to watch, it was of little consequence.

Corridors that had been abandoned were in use once more, the lack of dust a clear indicator that several entities had begun moving through the vast lair since the re-awakening. Many of them stayed out of sight due to fear, but the lizards continued to move about freely, several stopping to salute their masters.

They entered another large chamber, one that had been refurbished to resemble a holy sanctuary. But this place was far from the serene vision of the high clerisies' churches many would expect, a warped, dark parody of a worship hall. There was little light within the room, the darkness swallowing the pillars lining the walls before eclipsing the ceiling, and most lizards that went inside were instantly unsettled, none of them having decent darkvision.

Slithe only reinforced this fact with a nervous gulp from behind.

There were figures in the room that, at first glance, could easily have been mistaken for statues, so still were they. But they turned with agonizing slowness at the sound of visitors entering their chapel, and stared with unblinking eyes as they began to smile.

"Lord and massster!" exclaimed the high priest.

"Lord and massster." The other priests and priestesses echoed around the chapel, the sound of their hissing hitting the walls in an eerie murmur. One of the priestesses slithered toward him, spreading her hands in indication of the ritual taking place, dark glee shining in her fanged smile.

"We have prepared the ritual asss you requesssted, my lord. All that remainsss isss to open the portal." She explained, the end of her snake's tail coiling in anticipation.

"Miss Slythia, you're looking as divine as ever." Slithe spoke up from behind him, evidently regaining a bit of his confidence at the sight of the snake woman, whose expression went abruptly cold.

"General," she responded dryly, before adding in a low undertone, "I see the assassins have failed once more."

He ignored the incredibly strong urge to make a snide comment and simply slipped past them both, approaching the raised dais in the center of the room and nodding to the high priest.

"If you are ready, my lord…" the snake-man murmured, bowing his head.

"Proceed, Nagendra."

All through the chapel, the snakes rustled as they shifted their long bodies into position, the priests taking up a spine-chilling chant, bowing their heads and raising their arms. Energy, lit with a sickly amber glow, seeped from their scales, rising toward the unseen ceiling like smoke, converging into a large, net-like web of power above them. He watched the progress of the power web before adding his own raw magic to it, the red-violet energy swirling and encircling the amber magic, harnessing it roughly and jerking it down to the dais. A second chant rose among the priestesses, creating a prominent cacophony in the chapel as their own bright blue energy shot forth, attacking the disc of red-violet and amber light. There was a discordant musical chime, and something happened within the disc as it opened a rip in the air before them all. The snakes shrank back at the site of it, but he only moved forward, throwing more invisible strands of his power into the portal.

"My lord?" Slythia murmured somewhere nearby, anticipation making her words waver. "Have you found…?"

He didn't respond. He didn't need to.

The gateway to the Astral plane swelled, and a hand shot out, scrabbling desperately at the stone floor of the dais. Slithe and the snakes watched in revulsion as a figure slowly dragged itself into view, shivering, eyes fever-bright as it took them all in. Finally, the saber-toothed cat collapsed on the floor and the gateway shut behind him, leaving them all standing in silence for a time while he trembled on the dais.

And he spoke once more, addressing the cat.

"Tell me, Grune: what have you learned during your little…trip?"

The cat's eyes shifted, the light of insanity glittering in their dark depths.

"I am foolish…" Grune croaked in a voice dry from disuse, "And I never should have betrayed you."

The snakes watching began to murmur their consent, pleased the filthy turncoat saber-tooth knew his place now. Grune crawled forward, a fanatical smile on his face as he bowed his head.

"I will never betray you again. I live to serve you, my lord."

Mumm-Ra smiled. "Then it would seem you've chosen wisely at last."

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><p>AN: Sorry, me again! R&R please! And as for the fancharacters that appear in this chapter, again, I highly encourage you visit my dA gallery and click on the links to each creator I list in my artist's comments for this chapter! Because sooner or later, I'm going to have way too many to keep up with!


	8. Chapter 7: Rogues and Vagabonds

A/N: And after a good deal of pushing my nose to the grindstone, I finally managed to get this finished. Thanks yet again to everyone for the support and the tolerance of my OC use and OCxCanon support. Also, to my brother, RCN, who recently commented? Love you and all, but quit using my nickname in your reviews or you're going to get ruthlessly rick roll'd the next time you're on League of Legends! To everyone else, hope you enjoy this chapter!

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><p><span>Chapter 7: Rogues and Vagabonds<span>

The Thundercats left Conscientia a few days later, with the entire village giving them a huge good-bye. As it turned out, the snow leopards weren't so cold after all, and each of Kuncia's students promised to make a mosaic in memory of their guests during their teacher's absence. Consilius gave Kuncia a journal to record all she learned in, and insisted that Lion-O take the few books with him that made mention of the mystic stones. There was a brief detour to meet Kuncia's parents, who were more than pleased to make the acquaintance of the Thundercats, and wished their blessings upon their daughter's journey. It was perhaps the most difficult to pry Panthro away, as the cubs were incredibly upset to see him go. Finally however, they all left and descended the mountain, feeling their spirits lifted, their search for the warstones renewed.

"And what the heck are those?" Tygra asked upon taking a glance at one of Panthro's arms and seeing jewelry clasped over one of the iron hoops in a joint.

"Charm bracelets," Panthro answered, glaring, his arm spinning full circle to show them off, "Rosetta and her friends made them for me as a thank-you-now-get-well-soon gift. Is that a problem?"

"No!" all the younger cats answered quickly.

The journey back down the mountain was easier than the ascent had been, and before long, the cats began to peel away the extra layers of clothing, growing too warm for comfort. Only Kuncia seemed a tad reluctant to do so, but even she finally succumbed to the need, and pulled off excess clothing.

"Is all the world this warm?" she asked, jotting down a quick note in her journal.

"You should try visiting the Sand Sea sometime." Lion-O chuckled.

At the base of the mountain, they spotted the train of goats returning, a sight that seemed to concern Kuncia.

"If the goats leave," she explained, "They're usually gone for at least a month."

"We couldn't have spent more than ten days up there, at the most." Tygra pointed out to the others, and they all exchanged looks of concern.

"Let's find out what's going on." Lion-O declared, flexing the fingers of his gauntlet. The others nodded, the only exception being Panthro, who insisted he had to double-check the Thundertank where they'd hidden it before their journey. The rest of the company ran to meet the approaching goats, who froze at the sight of them.

"Something's wrong…" Kuncia murmured, "Perhaps I should—"

"Already on it." Nyrris interrupted, bounding toward the leader of the traders.

"What the…wha…how…" the snow leopard stuttered.

"Sorry, Kuncia," Cheetara apologized, "But Nyrris means well."

They drew closer and heard the leader of the goats, Kiran, and the young ocelot conversing rapidly.

"—spied a town's worth of mal-eyed scale-tongues a stone's throw from the set-in. We had to dig in our heels and backtrot."

"What are they…" Kuncia murmured, furrowing her brow.

"Nyrris calls it Trader's cant." Lion-O explained. "That's how we traded with the goats when we first came to the mountain; she knows it by heart. Apparently all gypsies speak it, which is why they're always on good terms with traders and merchants."

Kuncia simply frowned and huffed, regaining her composure.

"What's going on?" Lion-O asked as they came level with Nyrris, who was nodding solemnly to the goat.

"Lizards," she explained quickly, "There's a garrison of them camped near the walls of the city where the goats were headed. They came back this way to avoid them."

"Our entire route has been thrown off-schedule," one of the goats spoke up, bouncing anxiously from hoof to hoof. "We're going to have head in the opposite direction, at least until we have news of the lizards moving on."

Lion-O's face became grim. "If my suspicions are right, then there's a good chance that city will be wiped from your schedule altogether."

The goats looked from one another worriedly, but Kiran immediately came to Lion-O, as though he had been waiting for the young prince to speak up.

"Prince Lion-O," he sighed with relief, "I realize your own company has—is growing, but I would ask a boon of you."

"Yes, Kiran?" the young lion said tentatively, "Just say it. If we can do anything to help you, we will."

"So long as it's within our power to do so." Cheetara added.

Kiran turned to those immediately behind him and they all spoke rapidly in Trader's cant, gesturing wildly. The other Thundercats glanced toward Nyrris, raising their eyebrows and she crinkled her nose.

"I only caught the word "cat" in there. Goats talk too fast to follow most of the time." she said apologetically.

But the mystery didn't last more than a few moments, as the goats brought forth from their number a grim-faced figure that had all of them looking at one another in surprise.

Yet another cat glared back at them, hanging close to a large, four-legged pack beast that had followed her up the line of goats. Her fur and hair alike were a startling mix of black and silver, and she was garbed in well-worn traveling clothes most of them didn't recognize.

"This is Jess'ica," Kiran said, gesturing toward the cat. "We encountered her when we fled from the lizard garrison."

"Jess'ica?" Cheetara prompted. "I've not heard a name like that before. Where did you come from?"

Jess'ica merely glared at her, the lines around her mouth tightening as she kept quiet. At this, Kiran cleared his throat and cast his eyes guiltily to the ground.

"When we met her, it was our hope that…well, that we would find news of you again, Prince Lion-O, so that we could send her to meet with you. Her own home is in danger of destruction from the lizards, and she is willing to join the Thundercats in an attempt to help stop Mumm-Ra."

"So you want to just shove her off onto us?" Tygra muttered, not nearly quiet enough. Jess'ica shot him a death look, and Cheetara whacked him up the backside of his head with her staff, hissing about manners.

"Our apologies," Kiran murmured. "We don't want to sound like a hobble of ungrateful scummers, but we stand less chance of being marked as a plague-strike if she's with you."

"Less chance of the lizards killing them for being cat-lovers." Nyrris translated automatically, drawing Jess'ica's attention. The silver-and-black cat arched an eyebrow at her, and several of them got the impression she was still unused to the Trader's cant.

"But if she comes with us," Tygra objected, "Then we're only going to increase in number and we'll have more chance of being spotted."  
>"There is strength in numbers, if you can recall your education, my young tiger." Kuncia pointed out sweetly, and Nyrris and Lion-O avoided looking at each other lest they fall into another fit of "sneezing" like before.<p>

"Then…you don't object?" Kiran asked tentatively, his eyes going large and hopeful as he stared up at Lion-O. The young prince shifted his gaze from the goat to the silver-and-black cat, trying to offer her a hesitant smile.

"If she wants to. It's always good to have another ally on our side."

And though she didn't say anything, Jess'ica finally smiled.

"One big, happy family." Tygra grumbled with a roll of his eyes.

* * *

><p>But a couple of days into their decision, it was the silent opinion of many that Tygra's irritation wasn't totally unfounded. Jess'ica kept largely to herself and her pack beast Tibaroan, speaking rarely, and the few times she did, her voice was rough and cold as jagged steel, displaying little concern for most of her traveling companions. She was undoubtedly a useful companion, the few times they encountered stragglers of the lizard army and she proved she could wield a sword as well as the men, but she continued to remain distant to them all. Occasionally she would respond to Nyrris's remarks, albeit in a chilly or bored manner, and she only truly took to Lion-O, obeying him without question, something that didn't go unnoticed by Tygra, who was all too pleased to make snide remarks on the matter.<p>

Roughly four days passed before they found themselves pausing to rest, near the edge of the waste known as the Dead Plains. Panthro had brought the Thundertank to a halt, and the cats all gathered in a tight knot outside of it, staring ahead, looking out across the Dead Plains, passing around Panthro's tiny spyglass.

"Seems like there's some wooded areas spread out here and there." Lion-O said hopefully as he gently moved the spyglass, blinking to try to keep focus.

"It's mostly all blasted waste, though." Tygra pointed out grimly.

"Good place for an ambush." Panthro rumbled. "The lizards are probably better suited to that terrain when it comes to navigation and camouflage."

"Do we have much of a choice? I mean, our best clue for finding the next stone lies across the Dead Plains, right?" Nyrris asked, folding her arms.

"That's right," Cheetara said softly, "We really have no other choice."

Kuncia remained silent, giving the Wily twins a reassuring smile, and anyone who looked close enough at her large blue eyes could tell she was already deep in thought. Jess'ica, as usual, said nothing and her face remained devoid of expression. The only one who openly expressed his distress was Snarf, who wound around Lion-O's legs, yowling in protest at the idea of crossing the plains.

"Then we're just going to have to grit our teeth and get this over with." Lion-O sighed, handing the spyglass back to Panthro. "The Dead Plains don't go on forever, do they?"  
>"No," Panthro answered hesitantly, "But I know this blasted waste isn't easy to navigate, and we're going to have to cross it quick. It's the best we can hope for."<p>

"We shouldn't lose heart," Kuncia spoke up, "After all, we're all together in this, for the greater good. I'm sure this won't take as long as it seems."

Her words seemed to cheer a number of them, and Panthro gave her a soft smile that vanished the second Lion-O and Tygra tried to focus on it.

"Once we finish resting, we'll get moving." Lion-O murmured, and the others nodded, settling down to rest for a time. Everyone that is, except the twins.

"Kuncia, can you teach us some magic?" Kat asked, turning to the snow leopard with a hopeful look in his eye.

"Yeah, we want to be able to help, and use magic, like you do." Kit chimed in.

"How can I say no?" she chuckled, smiling at them both.

The next half hour proceeded to unfold with a general quiet, as everyone set to small, relaxing tasks and watched Kuncia's lessons with the twins. She didn't have to explain much in the way of meditating, as both Thunderkittens had more than gotten a good grasp of it from the elephants (though Kit remained better at it still than her brother,) and it wasn't until she began to explain the formal kinds of gestures when using magic that anyone spoke up.

"The important thing, you see," Kuncia was saying, "Is that you remember to form any required gestures when working a spell."

"No, it isn't."

The words ripped through the clearing like a strange thundercrack, and Kuncia looked up sharply, a mix of shock and irritation on her features.

"I'm sorry?" she said coolly, eyes narrowing.

"You don't _have _to form gestures when working a spell, and they're rarely actually required." Nyrris rose from her seat, brow furrowing. The Wily twins exchanged a confused look, then glanced back at Kuncia, who slowly crossed her arms.

"Your aunt is a shaman, isn't she?" Kuncia responded, "I should expect even a gypsy magic-user would use basic protocol and safety measures when working a spell."

At that, Nyrris bristled, her face darkening as she planted her fists on her hips. "You have a problem with gypsy magic because we don't wiggle our fingers every single time we use it?" she hissed.

"I look upon wild and unprotected use of magic with a good degree of caution, as it shows a flagrant disregard for the most basic of rules." the older cat replied coolly. Now it wasn't just the twins watching the sharp exchange; everyone was following the growing argument, even the reclusive Jess'ica. A look of worry passed between Lion-O, Tygra and Cheetara, but none of them made a move yet to step in.

"So what, everything has to be by the book or it's not right?" Nyrris challenged.

"Better to follow proper guidelines than to take a devil-may-care attitude toward everything, especially something as dangerous as magic!" Kuncia shot back.

"And here I was hoping that all snow leopards weren't ridiculously close-minded!"

"Ha. I am close-minded? Perhaps if you weren't raised to act like such a haphazard wild-child, you would have better respect for wisdom in magic protocol."

"Okay, stop it right there!" Lion-O spoke up, nearly shouting the words as he stepped between the two women. "Arguing isn't going to get either of you anywhere, and you may as well tear us all apart from the inside. We're all working together, for the same goal, and we can't act like this. Not when we're about to head right into danger."

"Lion-O's right," Cheetara jumped in, "You both have to stop before you end up saying something you'll regret."

"I think they already have." Jess'ica murmured loud enough for them all to hear. Nyrris and Kuncia both flushed bright red at that and broke eye contact, looking away. There was a long pause before Nyrris finally huffed a sigh.

"Whatever," she grumbled, "If no one's going to throw a fit, I'm off to go clear my head."

"Nyrris—" Cheetara started to say, but the ocelot was already flouncing away, breaking into a trot before kicking off from the ground and onto a tree branch, proceeding to flip between branches.

"She can't help being a show-off." Lion-O remarked with a shake of his head before turning back to Kuncia. "I'm sorry…but I think you're both going to have to apologize."

The snow leopard grimaced, but didn't object, and simply brushed by him, walking up to Panthro as he resumed fiddling with one of the exhaust tubes on the Thundertank. The panther glanced over his shoulder at her, meeting her eyes before turning back to his work and muttering, "Looks like you've got something on your mind you've gotta get off. You can say it to me, I'm not going to tell anyone."

"I understand the wisdom in Lion-O's words. Nyrris and I should both apologize…" she said slowly, "But I don't believe I was in the wrong. Rules are needed. They provide structure, safety, stability. Especially in magic. One wrong move, and a spell won't work, or worse."

The only immediate response she got was a _ting-ting-ting_ of metal hitting metal as Panthro gently rapped the spikes of one mechanical hand on the tubes. But after a moment, he stopped and glanced at her again, a sympathetic expression on his features.

"From where I was sitting, neither of you were wrong."

"Oh?" she prompted.

"Yeah," he answered, "I may not be big on magic, but that doesn't mean I can't tell you've both got a good point. I mean…it's not too different from teaching a cub swordwork. You hand them a dangerous weapon, tell them not to cut themselves. But even if you teach them verbally what not to do, it still doesn't mean they won't get cut. Sure, they may not get hurt as often as a cub left to learn on their own, but that doesn't mean that they won't have to learn some things the hard way. Any two cubs can become masters of their weapon when they've matured, and whether they had to train themselves or if they received careful instruction…" he paused and gave a soft growl as he tinkered, before finishing, "They can still be each other's equal. If that makes any sense, that is."  
>Kuncia smiled warmly at him. "Actually, it does. I do believe I know what you're saying, and you're right; neither of us were in the wrong about magic. We simply had a miscommunication. I think it shall be easier for me to apologize now." She turned away, about to walk off, before she glanced back over her shoulder. "Thank you, Panthro."<p>

"Anytime." he answered, grinning broadly.

* * *

><p>Nyrris had taken no time at all to find the small clearing near a stream they had passed earlier, and settled down to sulk, irritated at the very thought of what had just transpired. She thought about splashing some of the water over her head, to better clear it, when reflections in the water had given her pause. She thought she saw a dark shadow marked with veins of silver staring over her shoulder, but when she glanced behind her, nothing unusual was there. The sight unnerved her a tad, and she merely sat back, pondering.<p>

"That looked an awful lot like one of Aunt Priséa's spirits," she muttered to herself, but the thought of her family only brought back Kuncia's stinging words and made her more irritated. She scooped up a nearby stone, preparing to throw it into the stream, when a shadow passed overhead, darkening the ground. She froze, thinking for a minute of the thing she'd seen hovering over her shoulder, when she heard a sharp caw above her. Glancing up, she nearly jumped, blinking in surprise to see a large crow perched on one of the lower branches of a tree, and as she stared, it seemed to glower back at her with intelligent, fierce red eyes. She lowered her hand, rubbing the stone and giving a weak chuckle.

"Oh, it's just you," she exhaled a sigh of relief, "My imagination's going wild and I'm jumping at some old crow."

At this, the bird ruffled its feathers and gave an indignant caw before swooping down on her. She let out a yelp and threw up her hands to prevent it from hitting her eyes, but the crow only pecked at her once or twice before landing nearby, glaring angrily.

"Oh, please!" she grumbled, "Like you're some high and mighty king of birds!"

"Caw!" it snapped its beak at her.

"Oh, don't start," she groaned, rubbing her temples, "It's bad enough Lion-O had to break up me and Kuncia arguing."

The crow tilted its head at this, watching her curiously. It seemed mollified, but the odd crest of feathers that rose on its head weren't much of a comfort. Nyrris blinked, unsure what exactly was happening. Crows were smart things, according to her aunt and uncle, but no one had actually ever mentioned if they could understand spoken words.

But at that point, it didn't matter. She just needed someone to talk to.

"Yeah, I had to open my big mouth." she said, hugging her knees to her chest and scowling like a pouting child, "But I had to. I mean, I _know_ she's just teaching the cubs; heck, that's what she does, she's got a whole class full of them back at her home. And I know she's got a specific way she teaches…but that doesn't mean it's the only way. Sure, a lot of magic-users like to do all the gestures and stances and all that formal junk, but that doesn't mean it's the _only_ way to do it."

The crow tilted its head to the other side and she chuckled.

"You think I'm crazy, don't you?"

"Caw." it answered dryly.

"Nobody asked you!" she protested, ignoring the fact that she just _had_ asked. Evidently, the bird didn't seem as inclined to forget, and it fixed her with a flat stare, ruffling its feathers a second time.

"Oh, go shove off!" she growled, swatting with her hand to shoo it away.

Except she didn't swat. Her hand wasn't empty.

A moment too late, she realized what she had done as the small stone arched through the air and struck the crow on its side.

"Oh my gosh!" she gasped, scrambling to her feet as the bird let out an eerie cry of pain, flapping its wings furiously. "Oh, my gosh, you poor thing! I'm so sorry! Just hold still, I'll help you!"

The crow swiveled its head, red eyes blazing as it hissed and snapped its beak at her. She hesitated, trying to grab the bird, but it was not about to come quietly and continued to jab at her, until at last she took a gamble and reached out, just managing to clamp her fingers over the smooth, sharp beak. Immediately the bird began to struggle wildly, flapping its wings in an attempt to pull up its feet, but the injured wing hampered its movements, and its talons fell short of their mark. Nyrris, barely managing to keep her grip on its beak, angled her arm around the bird to pull it in, while her free hand automatically went to one of the pouches on her belt. Priséa had given her niece one of her prized treasures, and Nyrris now drew out a length of spellweave bandage, snapping it free of the thick roll when she was sure she had the amount she needed.

"Aunt Pris is never gonna forgive me for this," she muttered, dreading what the older ocelot would say when she heard her niece had used some spellweave on a bird, much less one she herself had injured.

But strangely, the crow calmed a bit when its red eyes found the bandage, its struggles easing. Nyrris decided not to question this sudden turn of luck, not even when the bird obliged to extend its wing, just a fraction, and she set to work on wrapping the bandage as best she could. Before long, the bird relaxed, and she was able to release its beak and focus on tying off the bandage.

"Whew!" she huffed, falling on her backside and tucking the rest of the spellweave bandage back in her pouch. She glanced at the crow, which was watching her cautiously, and attempted a smile. "See, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

But this was evidently the wrong thing to say, as the crow let out an angry hiss, jumped into an awkward flight, and pecked at her again.

"HEY!" she shouted, truly swatting this time, and the crow flew off with one last angry caw, leaving her to fume as it disappeared. "Fine, you dumb bird! See if I ever help you again!" She cupped her hands and screamed after it, "THAT WAS A WASTE OF A GOOD SPELLWEAVE BANDAGE!"

"Why are you yelling at the sky?" came a wary, tentative voice.

She spun to face Kuncia, who was watching her with an expression of guarded skepticism.

"It's nothing." she mumbled, flushing with embarrassment and knowing full well her response would do nothing to dismiss the notion that she was crazy. Kuncia merely cocked an eyebrow before she spoke again.

"I've come to apologize." she declared calmly. "I am sorry if I seemed close-minded to you. I merely wished to instruct the children in the best way to use magic so as to prevent them from coming to harm through the use of it. I did not mean to sound as though I was saying there is only one way of spell-casting. And I am sorry for my words against your family; they were spoken rashly and without consideration."

Nyrris ducked her head with guilt and sighed. "I'm sorry too. I know you're just trying to look out for the cubs; it's what you do. And I shouldn't have called you close-minded; you probably know more about every kind of magic used by every type of spellcaster than I do. I just got carried away because I didn't understand you."

At this, the snow leopard offered her a small smile. "Forgiven. And truth to tell, I do not know all that. It's part of why I have joined you all, so that I may learn."

"Guess I still have a bit to learn too." the ocelot said with a sheepish grin, and Kuncia placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"In Conscientia," she said, "The admission of that is a sign of growth and wisdom."

"…I'll take that as a compliment." Nyrris chuckled as the two of them walked from the clearing, the incident with the unusual crow slipping from her mind.

* * *

><p>When nighttime fell, it brought with it a new complication. They had set up camp for the night after finding a spot of relative wooded area in the fringes of the Dead Plains, settling down to build a fire pit near the Thundertank. Lion-O was turning the Sword of Omens over in his hand as the flames crackled and hissed, his worries and doubts nagging at the back of his mind.<p>

His first immediate thought was that he had come so far already, that he shouldn't be plagued with doubts and fears. But it couldn't be helped. Sometimes, like earlier when he stepped in during the argument, he hardly felt like a leader, let alone a king. And now, as he stared at the Eye of Thundera, winking in the firelight…

Jaga said the sword had chosen him. But what if he wasn't cut out for the part…? Had the sword ever chosen wrongly before? Was it just his through birthright, then?

"Is there something on your mind, Lord Lion-O?"

The words startled him, bringing him out of his thoughts as he glanced up to see Jess'ica watching him carefully, a thin line of concern on her forehead. He had to stifle his surprise; Jess'ica had rarely shown any signs of sympathy to any of them since they met her. He glanced back down at the Eye of Thundera.

"Not really. Guess I'm just feeling…nervous. If that's even the right word."

"Nervous? What've you got to be nervous about?" WilyKat asked, looking up from his supper and furrowing his brow.

"Tell us what's on your mind, Lion-O." Cheetara said quietly. He tossed her a guarded look, and she averted her gaze, looking distinctly guilty.

"I'm just wondering," he spoke after a time, "If maybe the Sword chose wrong."

"Nonsense," Kuncia spoke up, "I've heard your tale, and I believe the Sword chose true after all. You've already come this far and accomplished much; the recovery of the legendary Book of Omens is nothing to scoff at."

"One could even call you inspirational." Tygra spoke up, offering his younger brother a rare, genuine smile.

"Hah. Wish I felt like I was." he muttered.

"Look kid," Panthro spoke up, "We all believe in you. The sword believed in you enough to pick you. Heck, Jaga believed in you, and that's sayin' something, 'cause I knew him for years before your father sent Grune and I to find the Book. And I say it's high time you start trying to believe in yourself."

"I agree." Nyrris remarked, "Remember what Viragor said about seeing the bigger picture, back in the Forest of the Magi Oar?"

"What's that got to do with this?" Lion-O asked, prompting both Panthro and Kuncia to groan and shake their heads.

"So modest it makes him blind." Kuncia sighed.

"Kuncia's right," Nyrris said with a nod, "You're not willing to try looking at yourself the way we see you. Maybe when you start to, then you'll see the Lion-O we see."

Slowly, the smile started to creep back onto his face. Nyrris really was like an older sister to him, and the words of his friends were a much-needed boost, buoying the weight of on his shoulders so he felt confident again.

And then came the sounds of gunfire and swords ringing. Everyone was on their feet in an instant.

"Sounds like trouble," Panthro said, somehow managing to make the word "trouble" sound synonymous with "fun." Tygra and Lion-O exchanged a roll of the eyes.

"You'd think he gets bored easily." Tygra remarked.

"Come on, we have to check this out!" Lion-O said to the others, drawing the Sword of Omens, letting the blade extend to its full length before he shouted his warcry and they raced off in the direction of the noise. But as their luck would have it, they didn't have to go far. Two figures suddenly burst out of the darkness, running desperately until they were safely behind the Thundercats. Their pursuers arrived moments later, a ring of lizards coming into view.

"Great, what now?" their captain growled.

"You've got one chance. Whatever you've done to these people, we're not going to tolerate it. Leave _now_." Lion-O snarled, lowering the sword into a ready position.

"And just who do you think you are, barking orders to me, you filthy cat?" the lizard captain snapped back.

"I am Lion-O, Lord of the Thundercats," he growled softly, "And I won't tell you again. _Leave_."

"I don't take orders from a hairball-hacking milk-lapper!"

"Can we interest you in a beating, then?" Tygra asked, punctuating his question with a crack of his whip, and in that moment, all hell broke loose. The lizards charged into the cats, drunk on battle fury and determined to regain their fleet-footed prey. Cheetara smacked into the first line of them, leaving a golden trail in the air behind her as her staff cracked many a lizard in the face, again and again. Panthro was a roaring blur, his spiked knuckles cracking into lizard after lizard as he drove right through them, a proverbial Thundertank in and of himself. Two of the lizards near their commander broke rank and started to retreat, only to come face-to-face with a grinning tiger-man.

"Leaving so soon, boys?" he asked sweetly, smacking their heads together with a resounding CRACK!

"Forget this, sir!" another lizard yelped in a voice that quavered with fear, "I-I'd rather t-take my chances with General Slithe! I'm not m-messing with _these_ cats!"

"COWARD!" the commander screamed, hefting his own tarnished sword, "Stand your ground and fight!"

Lion-O snarled in fury and with a powerful surge of his legs, he slammed into the commander, knocking the lesser blade away with a vigorous downward swing of the Sword of Omens. The lizard gave a yelp of surprise and pain, stumbling backward and nursing his injured hand. The young prince's blue eyes narrowed as the image of the lizard commander and the memory of the wolf bandit overlapped in his vision, and he leveled his blade, bringing the point to rest between the lizard's eyes.

"Last chance." he growled acidly. The lizard gulped audibly, scrambling back from the sword and with a sharp curse he turned and fled behind his troops.

"I gotta admit, you're definitely getting better with the death threats." Tygra chuckled as he returned to his brother's side. But before anyone could say much else, a weak groan drew their attention, and as one the Thundercats turned to see the people they had protected. One of them had drawn back her hood to reveal a beautiful white cat marked by faint gray spots. Cradled in her arms and suffering from injuries was a male cat, brown with cream-colored stripes across his face, a combination that had been rarely seen in Thundera in more recent years.

"More cats?" Cheetara murmured somewhere nearby.

"This is getting to be a regular occurrence!" Panthro muttered.

The white cat looked up at them wildly, silver eyes wide with terror.

"My husband!" she cried as the cat in her arms stirred faintly. Upon a closer glance, they could see several darkening bruises on his face, a split lip, and blood that was drying quickly on his chin. "Please, help him!"

"We'll do everything we can," Kuncia said gently, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder while Panthro moved to lift the unconscious male.

"Help me get him to the Thundertank, boys." he groaned, lifting his burden under the arms while Tygra and Lion-O supported him by the legs. The white cat was helped to her feet by Kuncia, Nyrris, and Cheetara, but she took off rather quickly of her own accord, rapidly trying to keep pace with the men as they hefted her husband.

"Nyah!" came a small protest from foot-level, drawing the attention of many to—

"Snarf?" Lion-O yelped in surprise, though he immediately felt stupid for saying so; this creature, despite the fact it could have been his pet's twin, was significantly darker in color, and was puffed up in anger as it followed the white female closely.

"Careful, Kewi," she scolded her pet, "I shall admit, lord prince, I had hoped we would first meet under better circumstances."

"Better circumstances?" Lion-O echoed once they had gotten the injured cat to the Thundertank and let Kuncia and Nyrris tend to his injuries, "Just what exactly do you mean? Who _are_ you?"

"Cougaress. My husband is Razor," she said, a determined look on her face despite the worry in her eyes, "Were we in Thundera still, we would be marked…'vigilantes.' We've been trailing that faction of lizards for a number of days now, hoping to sabotage them a little, slow them down."

"Why?" Panthro demanded, drawing a hiss from Kewi that went completely ignored, "A couple of survivors of that damned holocaust they rained on Thundera, I'd think you'd be better off in hiding."

But Cougaress was already shaking her head, a grim smile on her face.

"See, that's the issue; my husband and I have never been the sort to just sit and wait this kind of thing out. Especially not after we heard that Mumm-Ra himself is now moving among his army. We had to give them a little hell, you see. It was all part of our bigger goal."

"And that is?" Lion-O asked warily, meeting her eyes.

"Getting to the Lord of the Thundercats, that we would lend him our aid, as we once had when we served King Claudus," she replied in bleak triumph, "And now we have found you."

* * *

><p>AN: ...Nyrris, your kindness is going to come back and bite you in the ass. R&R please!

All OC's are credited to their owners in the copy of "MORTAL BONDS" Chapter 7 on my Deviantart account.


	9. Chapter 8: An Ill Omen

A/N: And somehow I just randomly managed to belt out yet another chapter. That almost never happens. But then again, this fanfic keeps sitting in the back of my mind, just pestering me to work on it. So expect to see chapter 9 in the near future, hopefully. Remember: all OCs used are credited to their owners in the copy of "Mortal Bonds" Chapter 8 on my Deviantart account. R&R please, and enjoy the read!

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 8: An Ill Omen<span>

The corridors of Mumm-Ra's lair initially appeared empty to the naked eye, the soft whisper of air that slipped through the passages intensifying the hollow feeling. The lizard army was on the move once again across the Dead Plains, Grune and Mumm-Ra himself among their number, following a vision the latter had had of the Thundercats traveling the vast waste. But despite the facts that reinforced the illusion, the enormous pyramid was far from vacant. The tiny rush of air found its way to the dark chapel, where it was smothered by the scent of snakes.

Only one figure was present in the worship hall at that moment, having dismissed the other snakes to go about their own activities, that he would have the concentration he needed for the task at hand. Nagendra was coiled patiently on the raised dais, arms folded, staring at nothing in particular as his thoughts wandered. He waited in the silence for a good deal of time until the muted sound of scales brushing against the floor tiles behind him reached his ears. He shifted his coils and turned to face the priestess, forked tongue briefly flickering out of his mouth.

"Really now, Nagendra, who elssse would it be?" Slythia asked, her eyes studying him from above the top of her fan.

"Old habitsss die hard, priessstessssss." he replied, before sinking into a low bow, bending at his waist and spreading his arms wide. Had anyone been watching, the scene would come as a vast shock. The high priest bowed to no one save Mumm-Ra, and merely inclined his head to anyone lesser in rank among the snake cultists. It was simply against proper decorum in view of the public eye. But the two snakes had their privacy, and as was part of the unspoken law among their people, one always had to defer to any other who had helped them attain power. Nagendra was no fool, and he honored the unspoken law, deferring to Slythia to show he hadn't forgotten the hand she had in elevating him to the status of high priest.

It did not, however, escape her notice that Nagendra kept his acid green eyes fixed on her face as he sank into his bow.

"One would think," she remarked casually as she returned the bow, "That you don't trussst me."

"Wisssdom showsss that no sssnake can ever completely trussst anyone and live long." he replied, echoing words that were fed to snake-children since the time of their hatching. Slythia smiled in response as they each straightened out of their bow.

"You have the componentsss we require?" he demanded, and she gave a small, hissing chuckle.

"What do you take me for, high priessst?" she shot back, pulling a pouch off her sash, fluttering the hand that held her fan. He smiled grimly in response.

"Excellent." he hissed, slithering past her to an adjacent chamber, set up with an apothecary's table and alchemical tools. She followed a touch slower than he moved, taking her time as she mulled over their plot in her mind. Typically cobras never needed to collaborate in their efforts to brew potent poisons, but to craft the particular venom the two wanted, they needed one another's assistance, whether they were willing to admit so or not. Truly, neither Nagendra or Slythia would ever completely trust one another, but as their common goals were overlapping once more, the two were comfortable enough with the idea of an alliance.

"How do we know sssome bungling fool won't come acrosssss our work and use it for their own endsss?" she challenged, and the high priest's acid green gaze flicked back a brief moment to take her in.

"Ssslithe is with the army," he answered with a touch of amusement, "But asssssuming you've more than one idiot admirer, let me reasssssure you that I have my waysss of concealing our work."  
>Slythia glared at him, her hood threatening to flare open at the mention of the lizard general. One of these days, she was going to poison that fat idiot's ale and watch him writhe helplessly as the life seeped from him. "That, at least, is a blesssssing." she said stiffly, prompting a soft chuckle from the high priest. The two said nothing as she added her pouch of components to the table, moving silently and automatically as they worked on the poison, consulting the necessary scrolls as they started to boil the water for the deadly brew. But as luck would have it, they hadn't gotten too far into their work when they heard movement down the corridor outside the chapel. At once, they froze, hoods opening in alarm, and exchanged a brief glance. In their moment of pause, the footsteps sounded closer and clearer, and they slithered from the alchemy room through the chapel, approaching the archway that led to the hall beyond.<p>

A lizard wearing the double loincloth, leg wrappings, and wrist manacles denoting a slave was carefully plodding down the corridor, his expression bored as he carried a careworn tray laden with a small meal. As he approached, the cobras recognized the red crest on his head and smiled cruelly, immediately slithering into his path. The lizard's expression abruptly changed to one of alarm before slipping into an annoyed frown and he stopped walking, his grip on the tray tightening.

"Cazarak," Nagendra hissed, "I am sssurprisssed you aren't with His Dark Majesty's army."

"I am not a fighter by any stretch of the imagination," the crested lizard replied calmly, his words spoken in guarded caution as his yellow eyes flicked between the snakes, "And beyond that, my duties keep me here. It was Lord Mumm-Ra's wish that I stay here and tend to them."

"Sssurely your 'dutiesss' don't keep you _that_ busy?" Slythia said in a voice of false sweetness as she hid behind her fan again. "Though I sssupossse a _ssslave_ never runsss short of tasssksss to keep up with."

A flush of anger rose in Cazarak's neck and his crest rose stiffly, but he said nothing, refusing to rise to her bait.

"Kitchen duty, perhapsss." Nagendra remarked, reaching for the tray, but the lizard pulled it back sharply, his claws digging grooves in the tray as he tightened his grip further.

"This meal is spoken for." Cazarak said coldly, "And now if you will please unbar my path, I would get back to delivering it."

For a moment, none of the three moved, silently exchanging glares, but at last the cobras moved in tandem, slipping to the side to allow the lizard to pass between them. He didn't get too far before Slythia called after him.

"Tell me, Cazarak, how faresss young Axisss?"

The lizard froze again, his scarlet crest flattening against his head in fear for a brief instant, then he regained his composure and resumed his pace.

"Sssurely the boy mussst be terribly lonely." Nagendra said in mock sympathy. "It'sss not right, keeping a poor little cub locked up like that."

"Axis is not your concern." Cazarak said sharply, not looking back at either of them. The cobras exchanged a wicked smile before Slythia called after the lizard.

"You know it'sss only a matter of time before we get him in our coilsss, ssslave! You can't protect the little whelp forever."

The lizard's crest flattened even lower than before as he broke into a fast trot, tail whipping the air behind him as he fled from the snakes. The two exchanged a satisfied look; Axis would be the perfect weapon one day, and if they had to go through Cazarak to get to the cub, no one would question the abrupt disappearance of a slave.

* * *

><p>Where Jess'ica stayed reclusive and shut off, the next morning found Cougaress and Razor mixing well with the rest of the cats almost immediately. Razor was more than ready to strike up a conversation with Panthro about fighting techniques, and he regarded the young princes with an air of skepticism, declaring he was waiting to see if they would prove themselves worthy of their titles, though he wasn't unpleasant. Cougaress proved more friendly and open once her husband was out of danger, and took an instant liking to Cheetara, Kuncia and Nyrris, who were all eager to hear her stories. Kewi was difficult to figure out, as he was less playful and a tad more grouchy than Snarf, but after a while, the little creature allowed WilyKit to carry him on her shoulder, having warmed up to her in particular. The vagabond cats added a greater air of adventure to their journey, and before long, they had all of the Thundercats smiling, laughing and talking in a more relaxed way, save Jess'ica. The silver-and-black cat relaxed a little more and scowled a little less, but she still refused to actively participate in any conversation, preferring the company of her pack beast.<p>

A day or two later found them rolling along the blasted waste before the Thundertank came to a stop and Jess'ica dismounted Tibaroan, breaking for lunch.

"How are we doing on supplies?" Lion-O asked Panthro and Tygra as the others settled down near the tank for their meal. Panthro frowned before he gave a reply.

"Well, we had taken on enough food to last us all for ten days," he recounted slowly, "But that was without figuring in three new mouths to feed."

"We should be fine for a short while," Tygra spoke up, giving a pointed nod in the direction of Razor and Cougaress, who had just sat down together and were going through one of their packs. "Cougaress said she and Razor have enough food left from their own supplies to get them through the next two days or so. I'd say after that we worry."

"Fair enough," Lion-O said, "That leaves the issue of finding water. I heard there are supposed to be plants here that store water inside them."

"Yeah," Panthro responded, "But they're a pain; damned things are covered in spikes and needles, and even if you can find a way to get one, you're stuck with figuring out how to crack it open without stickin' yourself."

"Panthro," Lion-O said slowly, raising an eyebrow, "You have _robotic arms_."

The veteran grumbled and rolled his eyes. "Oh sure, leave _me_ to do all the annoying jobs."

"You know that's not what he's getting at, Panthro." Tygra pointed out.

"Besides," Lion-O said, attempting a small smile, "We can try to find ways to split open the plants ourselves. Heck, we're probably going to need to know how in the event you faint."

"HEY!" the panther snarled, but before he could so much as swing a wrench in good humor, both princes had hopped off the tank with a laugh and rejoined the others on the ground below. Tygra sauntered over to Cheetara, who was deep in conversation with Cougaress, Kuncia, and Nyrris about different forms of magic. Lion-O bit back a remark at the sight, and instead turned to the twins, who were munching through a bowl of fruit, which they shared with Snarf and Kewi. Lion-O's eyes flicked briefly to Jess'ica, who was busy tending to Tibaroan, and he realized with a start that she didn't have any lunch with her.

"Hey," he said to the twins, who looked up with wide, curious eyes, "Didn't she want anything to eat?"

"She probably does, but when we tried to offer some to her—," Kat started.

"—She just glared at us until we left." Kit finished.

Lion-O sighed in exasperation before turning back to the supplies, gathering together a small meal in his arms, and he approached the silver-and-black cat. Jess'ica looked up warily when he approached, then relaxed and bowed.

"Lord Lion-O." she said stiffly.

"Aren't you going to eat?" he asked, but she merely clamped her jaw shut and tilted her chin proudly. Her eyes swiveled briefly in the direction of Razor and Cougaress, so fast that Lion-O may have missed it, had he not been looking directly at her. He glanced toward the others for a moment, then sighed as he realized the issue.

"You shouldn't be ashamed that you don't have as much supplies in your pack as they do." he said gently, "And besides, we packed our own supplies with your meals calculated in there."

Her eyes widened in shock before she flushed and averted her gaze to the ground. Lion-O hesitated, then held out the food to her, which she blinked at in surprise.

"Take it," he ordered gently, "You're going to need to keep your strength up as we cross the plains."

She gave him a nervous glance before snatching the food, as though afraid it would suddenly vanish, then looked away once more.

"Thank you." she murmured, returning her attention to Tibaroan as she settled down to eat. Lion-O frowned for a moment; he was still having trouble getting used to Jess'ica, and the fact she insisted on being utterly confusing wasn't helping matters. But at least she was starting to respond a little more, and that was a comfort in and of itself. He turned back to the others and picked out some food for himself as he sat down and listened in on the conversation.

"I've never truly thought of how different each type of magic is," Cougaress was saying, "Granted, I've never really studied magic or the use of it extensively."

"Each magic manifests in different ways," Cheetara said, glancing to Kuncia, who gave a nod of approval, "And some paths of magic can be learned; others you have to be born to."

"Mages, shamans, and sorcerers are all paths that can be learned, provided you possess a spark of magic in you," Kuncia explained, "Whereas witches and warlocks must be born. I've heard the same is true of necromancers, but it is supposed that the line of death-based magic has died out completely."

"Wizards?" Razor prompted.

"I do believe they're the only kind of magic-user aside from clerics who can learn the path without needing a spark of natural magic in them." Kuncia replied, sipping at a tiny cup of water. Nyrris abruptly gave a chuckle.

"Well, I guess that explains why I'm so bad at everything my aunt is teaching me," she remarked, "I'm probably just not meant to be a shaman."

"You're a shaman?" Razor asked in surprise, raising his eyebrows, but the ocelot was already shaking her head.

"My aunt, Priséa, she's the Ocelotti family shaman and fortune-teller," Nyrris explained, "I'm supposed to be learning the trade from her, but I can only work shaman magic about half the time, and my fortune-telling is downright horrid."

"But that's not so bad," Lion-O broke in before grinning at them all, "You should see the other skills she's learned from her family."

Razor gave Lion-O a look that more than said he suspected that remark had a hidden streak of perversion, but Nyrris immediately got to her feet and backed up several yards.

"You'd better clear a path!" she shouted, bouncing on the balls of her feet, and just as everyone slid to the side, she charged forward. On coming level with the spot where she had been sitting, Nyrris flung herself headfirst, smacking against the ground with the flat of her palms and arching her body. Her feet soared overhead and as she pulled her upper body out of the curve, the soles of her feet bounced against the cracked ground, springing her into the air again. Three times in rapid succession she repeated the spring, until her feet kicked off from the ground one last time, and she curled her body in against itself, spinning in a ball in the air. As she began to descend, she did the uncurling twist she had done back at the Ocelotti caravan, landing on her toes with her arms spread wide as she grinned back at all of them. Immediately they broke into an energetic applause and she gave a theatrical bow as she walked back and took her spot, laughing with exhilaration.

"Is everything okay, Nyrris?" Cheetara asked with a small smile, trying to cover up for being startled by the sudden laughter.

"No, no, it's fine!" she laughed as she sat back down, shaking her dark hair, "I'm just happy. Tygra can grumble about 'one big happy family' as much as he wants, but I'm happy with it. All of us here together…well, it's almost like being back home, with _my _family again. I love it."

Her laughter was infectious, bringing a smile to everyone's face, and Razor suddenly leaned forward with a grin, grabbing Nyrris in a headlock.

"Good," he chuckled, ruffling her hair vigorously, " 'Cause I've always wanted a little sister to pick on!"

"_Hey_!" she protested, and this time the others joined in the laugh, grateful of the opportunity to enjoy one another's company.

But little did they know that this would be the last time they would all be together like this for a while to come, for the unavoidable pattern of events Priséa had foreseen began to be set in motion by the hand of Fate. For as all learn, Fate can be an insatiably sadistic entity, and always has in mind His own ideas…

* * *

><p>Night fell with the group finding a small cave around the fringes of the plains, a clever little campsite hidden from prying eyes for them. Panthro had parked the Thundertank just outside the entrance, and with Kuncia's magic, they managed to conceal it successfully. They took what they needed for supper into the cave with them, and upon discovering the cave's natural ventilation, they lit a small fire to keep warm and cook with. During the cooking of supper, Kuncia had taken the attention of the Wilytwins once more, telling them some of the myths she had taught her class, and the others listened in casually, still feeling united in their family feeling brought on by Nyrris.<p>

"And so all the events foretold came to pass." Kuncia finished.

"Woooowww…" WilyKat murmured.

"So does all prophecy work out that way?" Kit asked.

"Prophecy and divination is a particularly difficult and unusual branch of magic to master," Kuncia began slowly, "And even more so to accurately use."

"What about Nyrris's fortune-telling?" Kat asked, turning to look at the ocelot.

"Hey, my fortune-telling is bad already," Nyrris chuckled weakly, "And that's taking into account that fortune-telling is a branch of prophecy and divination."

"Why don't you show us some of your fortune-telling?" Razor asked abruptly.

"What?" Nyrris blurted out, startled. "You want me to actually—"

"Yes!" Cougaress agreed. "I don't believe I've seen legitimate fortune-telling up close before."

Nyrris opened her mouth to speak, then fell short as she glanced around at the others, seeing them give nods of approval. The sight bolstered her spirits and she smiled confidently, pulling out her knapsack.

"Alright, but I warn you all, it's not going to be anything spectacular, so don't get your hopes up." she laughed, pulling out first a small bag that clicked and rattled, a stack of odd looking papers, and basin full of dark leaves.

"What are the leaves for?" WilyKat asked, peering over her shoulder.

"It's one of the methods of divination," Nyrris replied, gesturing for someone to hand her some of the heated water, "Just watch."

Taking the beaten, battered kettle from Cheetara, she gently tilted it to pour the heated water out into the basin. The leaves inside the bowl swirled gently, like a tiny whirlpool as she poured, and Nyrris set the kettle aside, cautiously reaching in with a finger and stirring the leaves as she gestured above the bowl with her other hand, eyes shutting in concentration.

"Show me what lies in the future near to come," she whispered, lifting her finger from the basin. She paused, then opened her eyes as the leaves continued to spin, gradually slowing down.

"So…what _should_ we be expecting?" Panthro murmured as everyone leaned in.

The leaves began to rearrange themselves in the water, moving of their own accord against the direction of the flow, and finally came to a stop, forming a single word.

**BETRAYAL**.

An ominous quiet fell over the cats as they all stared into the bowl, the cave growing a touch colder. Finally, Snarf, or perhaps it was Kewi, mewled, breaking the silence, and Nyrris gave a weak laugh.

"S-see what I mean? My fortune-telling's awful," she said, picking up the papers and shuffling them rapidly, "Watch, I'll read the tarot signs and it'll be something completely different."

The papers, cut like strange cards, had different depictions on one side to represent something, and a diamond design on the back. Once Nyrris had finished mixing them up, she laid out three of them facedown, tapping each card gently in a rhythmic pattern.

"Show me what lies in the future near to come." she repeated, flipping the cards over one by one. The first was a sign of a long dagger, the second a locked door, and the third was a sliver of a crescent moon. Nyrris froze, her hand shaking as she turned over the third card.

"What is it?" Tygra prompted.

"B-betrayal. From within." Nyrris murmured, blinking hard. "Th-that's…that's never happened before. I-I've never read the leaves and the cards and gotten the same message." She paused, then her eyes widened. "Hold on a second!" she hissed, snatching up the small pouch and untying its strings. She gave the bag a vigorous shake and flicked her wrist, allowing the small marked stones within to spill out, clattering and rattling against the floor of the cave. Several landed in a pile, unmarked sides up, and she scooped these back into the pouch without looking at them. But the others…

"The lightning tongue is touching the roots of the tree…" she whispered, pointing the stones out to the others before indicating the other stones that fell close to the first two. "And there, sword below blood tear, next to moon."

"And that means?" Lion-O asked in tones of dread, already knowing from the look on her face what it was.

"Betrayal from within, _again_." Nyrris exhaled in disbelief.

"I thought you said your fortune-telling was never right." Panthro remarked.

"I've never been able to accurately cast fortunes before," Nyrris confirmed slowly, her eyes flicking back and forth between stones, leaves, and cards, "But I've also never had three different tools give me the same message before."

"Sounds like an ill omen if you ask me," Panthro muttered, suppressing a shudder.

"W-well," Nyrris tried to put on a voice of false cheer, "I doubt just because I happened to get the same message three times that it really actually means that this will come to pass. I mean…none of us would betray each other, right?"

Her words were greeted with silence as all of the cats glanced around at each other, some more hesitant to make eye contact than the others. Kuncia, however, frowned and squinted from the cards to the runestones.

"In both of those readings," she said slowly, "There is a sign of the moon." Her blue eyes flicked to Nyrris's blue-gray ones. "What aren't you telling us?"

The ocelot gulped, her hands shaking worse than before, and looked away from the wide-eyed stares.

"W-w-well," she stammered, "A-as-assuming that I actually ma-managed to read an accurate f-fortune…then if we were b-betrayed…the moon means that our betrayer is f-female."

The tense quiet that greeted her words the first time was nothing compared to the silence now. The other cats glanced first to Jess'ica, then to Cougaress, none of them daring to stare for too long. Lion-O in particular also glanced toward Cheetara, but looked away quickly before anyone could remark on it, doing his best to muster up his courage to say what needed to be said.

"Look, nobody is going to accuse anyone of betrayal." he declared stoutly, spreading his hands. "We're all in this together, working for the same goal. None of us has any reason to betray each other, and to just suspect or accuse any of our companions reflects badly on us. I don't want anyone panicking, and don't bother Nyrris about it, either." He glanced at her, offering a look of sympathy. "She's obviously as shaken as the rest of us."

"Thanks, Lion-O," she muttered unhappily, gathering the rest of the runes and replacing them in her pouch before moving on to the cards.

"If you say so." Panthro sighed, going off to a corner and sitting down, Kuncia following to talk to him gently. The others quietly moved off to their own spots in the cave, the tension still thick in the air from the ominous readings Nyrris had given them.

"I'll take the first watch." Tygra said to no one in particular, striding to the mouth of the cave to wait until someone relieved him of his duty. The quiet continued, and everyone prepared for an uneasy sleep, settling down on little pallets they made up. Nyrris started to lay down, slightly apart from most of the others, alone with her thoughts, until Jess'ica spoke up.

"I thought your fortune-telling was always wrong." she remarked.

"It always has been before." Nyrris replied quietly.

"Then what would you call that?" the silver-and-black female asked.

The young gypsy could only shrug in response. "I don't know."

The flames on the tiny cooking fire sputtered and flickered, dying down to soft, glowing embers, and Nyrris paused, waiting to see if the fire was going to give her a sign of betrayal too. But soon her eyelids grew heavy, and before long she felt into a fitful sleep with nightmares that threatened her with a paired of clawed, bandaged hands and hate-filled red eyes, a fitful sleep that had the young ocelot tossing and turning, and had the loyal Spindlefire watching her with a growing sense of worry, unable to protect his mistress's niece from the terrors of dreams.


	10. Chapter 9: Battle On The Dead Plains

A/N: Sorry about the wait, everyone! But a friend convinced me it would be cool to coincide the posting of this chapter with the premiere of season 2, which NO, I HAVE NOT SEEN YET, SO SHUT UP. Also? Writing a battle-focused chapter is NOT easy. I honestly wish I had R. A. Salvatore's gift for that; the man is a genius. Please R&R! And remember: credit for all OCs used is linked back to their creators on the copy of this chapter that is posted on my dA account!

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 9: Battle On The Dead Plains<span>

None of them had slept well. Few spoke during their cold breakfast. Only Panthro and Lion-O said anything as the others prepared to load back into the tank. But when a strange rumbling across the plains revealed through Panthro's spyglass a generous division of Mumm-Ra's army, everyone burst into shouts of alarm.

"Everyone, calm down!" Lion-O ordered, his own heart hammering wildly inside his ribcage. "If we all keep our heads cool, there's a chance we can outrun them."

"How did they even find our trail to begin with?" Jess'ica demanded angrily.

"Well, um…" the Wilytwins began uncertainly, and together they pointed, directing everyone's attention to a set of grooved tracks left in the ground by the Thundertank.

"Fangs!" Panthro swore softly.

"There's nothing we can do about that now," Cheetara said, "We have to move, and fast."

Apparently this was all too much for Tygra, who let out an abrupt snarl and turned to glare at Lion-O. "None of this would have happened if I were in charge!" he spat.

"Now's not the time, Tygra." Lion-O shot back angrily.

"It's as good a time as any! If you keep leading us like this, we'll wind up dead!"

"So then what would _you_ have us do, Mr. Perfect? Turn around and face them now, while we're still at a disadvantage?"

"Tygra," Cheetara piped up, "Lion-O has a point—"

"Oh, so you're siding with _him_ now?" Tygra gave a mirthless laugh.

"That's a surprising change of heart!" Lion-O snorted, his blue eyes going cold as he glared at Cheetara, who flinched back as though struck.

"Don't you talk to her that way!" Tygra snarled, surging toward his brother.

"All of you, stop this at once!" Kuncia's firm voice rose above theirs like a blast of icy wind, and immediately the three froze, turning to stare at her.

"But—" Tygra started to protest.

"You are all behaving like bickering children! Even those lizards are better organized and more level-headed than the three of you are right now." she declared in a tone that brooked no further arguing.

"And this is why I'm _still_ waiting to be impressed by either of you." Razor said coldly to the two princes, ignoring the protests of Cougaress at his side. Nyrris, standing nearby, shot a quick, disappointed glance at Lion-O, who dropped his gaze to his feet, feeling a strange, sinking guilt devouring his insides.

"I say we save this for later!" Panthro said, opening the back of the tank. "Everyone inside! The Gray Marsh is just beyond the borders of the Dead Plains. Perhaps with any luck (and my baby's souped-up engine,) we can just reach the Marsh and get the upper hand!"

Nobody objected, moving quickly, and within a matter of moments, the Thundertank was roaring across the rust-red plains once more.

* * *

><p>"It appears they have increased their pace, General."<p>

Slithe stifled a growl as the captain reported the news, clenching his fists angrily. The Thundertank had one major advantage over his army's machines, and that was speed. If the cats had seen them and were increasing their pace again…

"We're never going to catch up to them at this rate!" he hissed in suppressed rage.

"Do you have no faith in me, Slithe?"

The voice turned his blood to ice, and Slithe stiffened, trying not to let his lip quiver as he turned his head to face his master.

"That's not—I mean I…I never said—"

"Perhaps you would like to keep that tongue in your mouth?" Mumm-Ra whispered acidly, red eyes flashing dangerously.

"I'll take it out," Grune piped up suddenly, a manic grin spreading over his face, "We might all do better without it."

Slithe swallowed over the knot in his throat. It was terrifying enough, finding out that Mumm-Ra had pulled the saber-tooth back out of the Astral Plane. But even more frightening was the prospect of meeting those caramel eyes and the truth in them: Grune had gone quite irreversibly and completely insane.

"Later, if Slithe continues to voice his less intelligent opinions," Mumm-Ra said with a low, eerie chuckle, "At the moment, I am afraid there is a more pressing matter at hand."  
>He brushed past them both, heading toward the front lines, raising a crooked claw for all to see. Wind, strong and battering, pushed its way through the army and gathered around his withered hand, spinning in a sharp ring, crackling with red-violet energy. The lizards around him shied away, ducking away from the violent touch of the wind. For a moment, Slithe could only watch in awe, marveling at the display and knowing it wasn't even scratching the surface of his master's power.<p>

Then Mumm-Ra brought his hand down sharply, clawed fingers opening wide, and the wind shot away from the army, released with a powerful vengeance.

And Grune let out a high, maniacal laugh that only made everyone's blood run colder.

* * *

><p>The few conversations occurring within the Thundertank were muted, spoken in quiet murmurs behind raised hands. Kuncia and the twins were in the cockpit with Panthro, leaving the rest to speak amongst themselves. Razor and Cougaress were in the middle of a hushed argument, while Tygra and Cheetara whispered to one another softly, both avoiding looking Lion-O in the eye. Unsurprisingly, Jess'ica sat off in a corner and said nothing, simply watching Snarf and Kewi interact, but Lion-O felt strangely hurt that Nyrris hadn't said a word to him. The ocelot sat a few feet away on the bench, refusing to even turn and acknowledge him.<p>

Finally, he decided to attempt a stab at conversation with her.

"…you think I'm a loudmouthed idiot, don't you?" he murmured, inwardly thankful when his words caused her to look around at him in surprise.

"I never said anything like that." she answered quietly. "Do I think you were _acting_ like a loudmouthed idiot? Well yeah, kind of. But that doesn't make you one."

His cheeks flushed with shame and his eyes found the rose-colored stone in his gauntlet, automatically starting to study its faucets.

"Besides," her breath suddenly tickled his ear in a low whisper, sending a shiver down his spine, "If anyone's a loudmouthed idiot, it's Stripes over there."

He couldn't help himself; he burst into laughter with her, settling down only when he noticed the others giving them odd looks. He gave one last small chuckle, rubbing his ear, and turned to grin at Nyrris.

"Thanks."

"I told you, we're friends. It's one of the perks of friendship: we support one another." she said with a shrug, though she wasn't able to keep from grinning back. For a moment Lion-O felt buoyed…until he noticed Jess'ica glaring at them. His heart sank a little at the sight, and his stomach twisted with anxiety. But he didn't have long to dwell on it; the next moment, the Thundertank _spun_.

Everyone inside was flung back and forth, slamming into the walls and each other, yelling in shock and fear as the tank began to skid and tilt on its side. Then, just as quickly, it righted, crashing against the ground in an abrupt halt that bounced them all.

"Everyone okay?" Tygra asked.

"The others!" Lion-O gasped, scrambling to get to the cockpit. The hatch opened and the twins poked their heads into view, eyes wide with fear.

"They're okay, Panthro!" Kit yelled, her voice strangely muffled.

"What's going on?" Lion-O shouted, climbing up the hatch and looking around wildly at Panthro. But at once he already had a very good hunch; a loud, violent wind had picked up, howling above voice level, and when he looked off to the right, there was a strange distortion in his vision.

"WIND!" Panthro yelled, "An entire blasted WALL OF WIND! It slammed right into us!"

"Can't we go around it?" the prince cried desperately.

"I don't think so!" said Kuncia, shakily getting to her feet, "There are traces of a magical signature in this wind, one unlike anything I've ever seen before!"

Lion-O bared his teeth, hissing in frustration. Apparently their strategic withdrawal had come to an end.

"Turn the tank around!" he shouted above the wind.

"ARE YOU _CRAZY_?" Panthro shrieked.

"We don't have a choice! We just have to get ready!"

It didn't take them long to assemble; Panthro brought the tank to a halt a good distance from the wall of wind, and within moments the tank opened and the cats began to file out, one by one, looks of grim resolve on their faces. The twins remained in the cockpit, ready to fire any of the tank's deadly weapons at a signal from Panthro, and Kuncia and Cougaress remained with them. The former was preparing her spells, both to protect the others and to rain havoc upon the lizards, while the latter readied her longbow, crouching on top of the tank to better aim and draw.

"I'm still not comfortable with this." Razor remarked as he stood next to Panthro. The others had quickly formed a line, weapons at the ready, facing down the approaching army.

"I've seen worse odds." Panthro replied, "…I think."

"Really?" Tygra asked, skeptical as ever.

"I _think_." the veteran repeated firmly.

"Okay, military experts," Nyrris murmured, "Answer me one question? Why aren't they firing at us already?"

A brief-lived silence followed her words, then Jess'ica spoke up.

"They're probably trying to trick us into attacking first, so they can fire when we go to move." she declared with a huff. Razor shot her an odd look and Panthro jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

"Somehow, I doubt that's the case." he remarked, indicating the wall of wind.

"Whatever it is," Lion-O said loudly, "Everyone get ready!"

The approaching army only slowed to a halt when there was barely over fifty yards of distance left between their ranks and the small group of cats. Battalion upon battalion of lizards stared them down, milling about in tightly-knit formation around their giant automatons. One familiar lizard stood at their fore, cradling a firearm weapon as he sneered toothily at the cats, and at his side stood—

"Grune?" Panthro spluttered, his face paling as his entire body began to shake, "It…it _can't_ be!"

A wave of uncertainty ran through the ranks of lizards, and the saber-toothed cat next to Slithe addressed them loudly, eliminating any doubts as to his identity.

"Don't be worried, men! This ragtag motley crew may bite, but there's more than one way to skin a cat." Grune shouted to the lizards before erupting into a high, cold laugh that drove ice splinters into everyone's spine. Swallowing over the knot of fear that had lodged in his throat, Lion-O took a step forward.

"Try it, Grune," he yelled, "You might get scratched!"

The saber-tooth glared daggers back, but it was Slithe who raised a hand and let it fall forward sharply. "ATTACK!"

"THUNDERCATS! HOOOO!"

The Sword of Omens erupted in a blinding flash of light, the Eye of Thundera and the spirit stone of the gauntlet crackling with wild energy as Lion-O raced toward the lines of lizards, the other cats at his heels.

Cougaress's arrows found the lizards first, and drove the first flank into a frenzy, screaming at the unexpected attack. Razor directed his fury at those lizards his wife's arrows found, striking quickly, hamstringing and crippling wrists as he went. He was an unstoppable blur of rage, unwilling to hold back against any opponent, fighting with his fists and his feet as often as he did with his sword. Cheetara and Tygra fought in tandem as well; he would shift in and out of visibility, luring unsuspecting lizards into the path of Cheetara's staff, allowing her to activate its latent power, ensnaring their foes in a cage of roots.

Jess'ica stayed near no one, simply cutting through rank after rank of the lizards, snarling and roaring as her sword glinted in the dim light, an eerie, almost tangible darkness lingering at the edges of her form. Several of the lizards began to edge away from her after a time, realizing she couldn't be held for long, driven by a stubborn will and fighting to make her way toward Slithe. Panthro also fought alone, weaving in and out like a dark whirlwind among the warriors, arms and _nunchaku_ whistling as they spun in the air. On his own he cleared out almost as many lizards as either young couple and Jess'ica combined.

Kuncia stayed with the twins, who hunched down in the cockpit of the tank with Snarf and Kewi, watching the battle unfold, and Cougaress, standing atop the tank next to Kuncia to better aim. The snow leopard had erected a magical nexus surrounding the Thundertank, forming a powerful shield that blasted away any lizards that came too close for her liking. A smaller spell she placed on Cougaress's quivers allowed the younger cat's arrows to find their targets with greater accuracy, without truly emptying the quiver. But her magic wasn't limited to maintaining spells, and soon she simply began casting another spell that manifested ice, her worry for the cubs bolstering her courage.

Lion-O, leading the charge, felt his sword arm working automatically, years of training and instinct finally taking over in a way he'd never felt before. His thoughts returned to Hatanzo the drifter's advice from before, and his motions became more and more fluid with each movement, his thoughts reminding his body to stay flexible, to bend with the wind. The Sword of Omens became an extension of his arm, a glinting, powerful fang, a formidable claw that crackled with energy, knocking back any lizards that came too close. A strange void of calm seemed to engulf his mind, and his thoughts were distant things, floating on the surface of water. He was only vaguely aware of Nyrris at his back, moving in tandem with him as best as she could manage. Her quarterstaff spun and smacked, warding off the enemies that tried to attack Lion-O from behind.

"Regroup!" Lion-O shouted as the lizards kept coming forward. "Regroup!"

But he couldn't see any of the other cats responding to his call. The lizards began to swarm around, and in seconds, he realized they had trapped him. Nyrris swore suddenly, and the two of them backed into each other, tensing as they shifted to defensive posture. The lizards began to close in—

"Lion-O, you're doing it wrong!"

Several of the lizards fell away, tumbling backward as though they'd just been struck. A second later, Tygra shifted into view and landed nimbly at his brother's side, grinning as he cracked his whip a second time. The enemies off to the other side started to heft their weapons when a golden blur smacked into them, lifting them off their feet and flinging them backward several times. The blur dissolved into Cheetara as she bounced backward several feet, regrouping with the other three.

"We have your back." she stated confidently.

"Don't forget about me!" Razor shouted, vaulting himself in a leap above several of the lizards, landing close to Nyrris's side, saluting his wife quickly. There was a sudden roar as Jess'ica cut her way through more lizards and charged toward them.

"And what about me?" she demanded, eyes wild as she grinned.

The lizards began to fall back a few steps, wary concern showing on their faces. Then they started forward again, remembering their training, until—

"Why. Is it. Always. Lizards?"

Panthro, a veritable mountain of annoyance and raw power, plowed through the reptiles with his robotic arms alone, smacking them out of his way as he rejoined the others. And this time, the army really did begin to back away in fear, hissing uncertainly.

"Cowards." Grune's voice cracked across the battlefield as his energy mace began to hum with power. The cats turned in shock as the saber-tooth took aim, undulating, acid-green energy racing toward them…

Only to be met with a frigid blast of magic as spear of ice met the energy in mid-air, the two powers erupting in a small explosion that fell quite short of its mark. The cats turned their heads, looking back to the Thundertank in awe as they heard the Wilytwins shout in glee, finding Kuncia lowering her hands with a grim smile on her features and Cougaress clapping her on the shoulder.

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" Nyrris crowed, punching the air with a fist.

"Hey Panthro," Tygra said abruptly, drawing the veteran's attention, "Close that mouth, you're drooling."

Before Panthro could completely register his own words being thrown back at him, Tygra laughed and cracked his whip, disappearing once again.

"Boy, you had better be _so_ glad we're on the same side!" Panthro roared, swinging his _nunchaku_ again. As if on cue, Lion-O gave a shout and they all began to charge again, gaining their second wind. From the relative safety of the tank, Cougaress continued to fire, her shots coming quicker now, and Kuncia's ice continued to sweep across the field, forming some sort of frigid armor over the cats.

Grune and Slithe charged into the fray, the latter hiding among his warriors shooting his firearm maliciously, his shots barely missing the cats. Grune, however, gave a wild laugh and sought Panthro out instantly, throwing the massive panther on the defensive as he swung his mace with total abandon.

"Panthro's in trouble!" Razor shouted at once, and before anyone could stop him, he broke away, cutting through more lizards in order to get to the older cat in hopes to turn the tables on Grune.

"Razor!" Cheetara shouted, barely parrying a blow.

"They can handle it for a few seconds!" Lion-O shouted in desperation, "We have to get to Slithe!"

"Allow me," Jess'ica growled, breaking away and disappearing among their foes.

"Wait!" Lion-O shouted, barely managing to parry an overhead swing. He let out a snarl of frustration, throwing his weight forward against the lizard, knocking it flat on its backside.

"Look out!" came a shout from behind him, and he spun in time to see Nyrris bat away another enemy that had come at him. A second glance showed the bruises and cuts the ocelot was steadily acquiring as a tremor going through her body threatened her balance, her knees beginning to buckle. A cold hand of dread closed over the young lion's heart, and he knew somehow, were he to closely inspect his other companions as well, he would no doubt find just as many abrasions on them too. He swung without thinking, rage building inside him at the thought of his friends—his _family_—harmed, and he sliced down with the Sword of Omens, the magnificent blade arching down throw the air, slashing at two lizards about to attack his ocelot friend.

"Thanks!" she gasped, spinning just in time to smack a few more heads together with her quarterstaff.

"Can't let my only sister take a beating, now can I?" he said with a weak, awkward chuckle, not looking her in the eye, turning to face down more attackers.

The battle raged on, the two of them fighting back to back, Cheetara and Tygra slowly spreading out their small circle of protection, Jess'ica hunting for Slithe, and Razor and Panthro fending off Grune together. But no matter how valiant their efforts, it took only moments for Lion-O to realize they were losing the fight.

"We need to regroup again!" he said loudly. Cheetara and Tygra responded instantly, letting Cougaress and Kuncia shoot down their pursuers from a distance as they rejoined the lion and the ocelot. But hoping that Razor and Panthro could successfully break away from Grune was like hoping to catch a falling star with one's bare hands; the saber-tooth continued to maintain the offensive, even against both opponents, laughing like a maniac and fighting with no apparent concern for self-preservation.

"We have to help them!" Lion-O growled to the others.

"LION-O!" Jess'ica roared, briefly appearing in the crowd, "THERE'S MO—"

She suddenly vanished among the lizards, several clawed hands muffling her mouth and dragging her down.

"Jess!" Cheetara cried, "What's happening?"

"A simple sedative," a voice nearby chuckled quietly, and the surrounding enemies paused, starting to take steps backward, "Can't have her spoiling the surprise now, can we?"

There were two figures darting among the ranks of lizards, appearing only as brief flashes of stark white and burnt orange fur, moving quickly.

"You're not the only one with new friends, cat!" Slithe hissed somewhere among the milling horde.

"New allies?" Tygra murmured.

"I don't know for sure," Lion-O murmured back before hefting the Sword of Omens high above his head. "I don't care how many 'new friends' you make, Slithe! Thundercats never retreat!"

"Then that," a cold, rasping voice washed over the battlefield, drowning out all other sound, "Will be your own undoing!"

As one, the cats turned, drawn by the sound of that cruel voice, and found Mumm-Ra, staying close to one of the huge robotic machines. His red eyes glinted even from a distance, and he raised a clawed hand. Red-violet energy spiraled from his fingertips, and Lion-O instinctively raised his gauntlet, preparing to deflect Mumm-Ra's power with the rose-colored spirit stone.

Except Mumm-Ra wasn't aiming for Lion-O and his band.

He was aiming for the Thundertank.

The high screams of Kuncia, Cougaress and the twins stopped the other cats cold.

"COUGARESS!" Razor roared, and his moment of distraction cost him dearly as the lizards pounced, dragging him to the ground.

"KUNCIA!" Panthro yelled, taking a sharp blow to the head from Grune, falling to the ground unconscious.

"NO!" Lion-O cried as the lizards swarmed them anew.

The last thing any of them heard was Mumm-Ra's wild, triumphant laugh.

Then the world went black.


	11. Chapter 10: Unexpected Help

A/N: Sorry it took me longer than I expected to finish this chapter everyone, and thank you for your patience. On a lolzworthy note, it seems a good number of people don't like my penchant for ending chapters on cliffhangers. Sorry dears, but I like to give you all cliffhangers. It generally means that I have a good chance of keeping you all hooked and awaiting what happens next. Please R&R! And remember: credit for all OCs used is linked back to their creators on the copy of this chapter that is posted on my dA account!

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><p><span>Chapter 10: Unexpected Help<span>

"Wakey, wakey sunshine."

The voice cut through the darkness like a jagged knife, waking a throbbing pain in the side of his head he hadn't noticed before. Everything was vague, even awareness, and it was only after what seemed an eternity that he was able to open his eyes and push himself up to his feet. He was in some kind of holding cell, in better repair than the ones that had been in Thundera's palace. The hallway beyond the metal bars seemed a bit brightly lit for a dungeon, but the place was unmistakable.

As was the face sneering in at him.

"I'm surprised we managed to keep all of you out for so long."

"Grune…" Lion-O hissed, rubbing the sore spot on his head.

"In the flesh." the saber-tooth replied with a manic grin.

"But how is that even possible?" Lion-O demanded.

"That's what I'd like to know." he heard Panthro's snarl of fury, and it startled him into turning around. What he saw was like a blow to the stomach.

Tygra, Razor, and Wilykat had all been thrown in the same cell as he, and so was Panthro. But the hulking veteran was standing awkwardly, his frame shaking with rage as he tried to balance himself, for his robotic arms had been removed.

"What…" Lion-O gasped.

It was no secret to anyone that the berbils had intentionally made the arms so Panthro could detach them if he so needed. The metal capping was sealed over his flesh and his new arms attached to them, but in the event either arm needed maintenance, they could be carefully taken off.

Now they were gone, leaving behind only the metal capping.

"Seems I've started to take up quite a collection."

Lion-O turned back to Grune, to find he had backed away from the bars and was holding one of the robotic arms aloft.

"I've still got your old ones." he said with a terrifying smile as he stared at Panthro. "They're upstairs. Wanna see 'em?"

Panthro only gave a soft growl.

"Stop that at once, you monster! Leave him alone!"

"Kuncia?" Lion-O blurted out in shock, realizing for the first time what was behind Grune. The hallway was roughly only a dozen feet wide, and directly on the other side was another holding cell, this one occupied by girls. The saber-tooth's smile changed suddenly, and he half-turned to the opposite cell, eyes still slipping back to Panthro as he approached Kuncia, who was gripping the bars of the door in anger.

"Ooh, lookie here, general," he laughed, "Looks like you went and picked out a prospective mate while I was vacationing in the Astral Plane."

Kuncia's cheeks darkened in a blush, but she only redoubled her glare. Panthro's face immediately went thunderous, and he stomped toward the cell door, stopping short when he remembered he had no hands to grip the bars with.

"Leave her alone, Grune!" he snarled.

"Or you'll do what?" Grune asked pleasantly.

"If he gets his arms back," Kuncia growled, "You won't want to find out."

The younger male cats all immediately glanced between the snow leopard and Panthro, stunned to find her taking the words out of his mouth, and Grune laughed.

"And she's a spirited little spitfire of a woman too!" he chuckled, reaching between the bars and closing his hand around Kuncia's chin, squeezing none-too-gently. Her eyes widened in shock, narrowed in anger, and she let loose a snarl as she twisted and sank her teeth into the flesh of the saber-tooth's hand, biting deep. Grune let out a yelp of pain and yanked his hand free, cradling it to his chest. And then something quite unexpected happened: a child's voice, accompanied by the sound of little running feet, echoed through the dungeon hall.

"Uncle Grune, are you okay?"

Everyone froze in shock.

A small, saber-toothed kitten barely a few years younger than the Wilytwins, came trotting into view, a lizard on his heels. The kitten was dressed in bright garb the same goldenrod color as Grune's armor, with a strange green sash that wound around his waist and torso, weighed down by the twin cobra insignia of Mumm-Ra. His hair too, was a bright goldenrod that spiked up in all directions, as though it had been charged with electricity, and his fur was a shade lighter than Grune's. He approached his uncle warily, and Grune stopped nursing his hand as he looked down at the cub.

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about, my boy. Now, what have I told you about coming to the lower dungeons?"

The cub immediately dropped his attention to the ground and began shuffling his feet awkwardly, as though he'd been caught sneaking candyfruit.

"Sorry…" he mumbled.

"Well, as it just so happens, this is your lucky day!" Grune said with a genuinely fond smile, clapping a huge hand down on the kitten's shoulder. "I was going to bring you down to see our…guests, anyway."

He stepped directly halfway between the two cells and spread his arms with a grand flourish.

"These, Axis, are the Thundercats."

The kitten turned and looked directly at Lion-O, his blue eyes too wide and innocent. Lion-O's jaw dropped in shock, and he heard the others gasp behind him.

"What…?" Panthro murmured, a slew of conflicting emotions in his voice. "You had a nephew…? This whole time, you…you…but I…_how_?"

Grune only smiled coldly, and Axis turned to look at the girls, all of whom looked close to heartbreak at the sight of the cub, adorned with Mumm-Ra's symbol.

"Uncle," he asked, tilting his head as he looked between the cells, frowning, "Shouldn't they all be in different spots? What if they use magic to break free?"

"Ahh, that's the thing, Axis." Grune answered, ruffling the cub's hair, "The cells on the upper floors are more technologically advanced and we wouldn't have too many problems, but they're finicky. Now, these cells down here…"

He pulled something from his belt, a glowing, pulsing, beetle-shaped object that immediately caught the eyes of Kuncia, Nyrris, and Cheetara in particular, and tossed it at the bars of the cell. Everyone watched as the scarab disk connected with the bars, which lit up and crackled with red-violet energy, suspending the disc for a second before it clattered to the stone floor.

"…while there aren't enough to accommodate each of our 'guests', these cells are spelled against magic. And while it is a trifle inconvenient to have them all in the same central location and guarded by lizard patrols, better to prevent them escaping by means of magic. Remember, you can't always have the best of both worlds when it comes to _these_ cells. But I am glad to see that you are thinking like a proper warrior."

He ruffled Axis's hair once more, then looked up at the lizard standing directly behind his nephew.

"You, slave…" he began.

"Begging your pardon sir," the lizard answered in a cold but gentle voice, "My name is Cazarak."

It was the words he spoke that prompted Lion-O to finally get a good look at the lizard. He stood half a head taller than most lizards the young prince had seen, with a bright yellow underbelly and a strange red crest on the top of his head that was slowly rising in irritation, belaying his calm voice. He wore only a double-loincloth and a pair of shining metal bands encased his arms from the wrist almost to his elbow.

They had seen the Conquedor, had seen the pitiful, helpless creatures he had been trying to sell, but this was the first time in all of Lion-O's sheltered life that he had seen a slave so close, let alone one who was a lizard.

"Whatever," Grune waved off the lizard's comment, "Take my nephew back to his chambers, and keep him away from Kaynar and Addicus, would you?"

Cazarak's crest rose a little higher, but he looked away and obeyed nonetheless, placing a gentle hand on the saber-tooth kitten's shoulder. Abruptly, he raised his eyes just a fraction, and for a critical second, met Lion-O's gaze.

"Come along, Axis," He said quietly, starting to steer the cub down the hall, "You don't want to be in this place for too long."

The comment was directed at the child, but the prince had the strange feeling the words were also meant for him. There had been something in Cazarak's eyes, a fiery determination and an indomitable spirit, something that didn't suit a beaten, broken slave. Somewhere, somewhere deep inside Lion-O, a spark of hope flared anew as the wheels in his head began to turn.

The others returned their attention to Grune, who watched the slave leave with his nephew, a relaxed smile on his face. For a moment, he looked like the old Grune again, the Grune that had been inseparable from Panthro in the field of battle, the Grune that had laughed and grinned as he trained the young princes in combat, the Grune with the easy smile and witty sense of humor that King Claudus had come to regard as a friend.

"He'll do good." he suddenly spoke to no one in particular. "After all, he is my nephew."

"Yeah, if you don't destroy him first!" Panthro snarled, shaking with anger. "All this time…all this time I thought I had sacrificed something to get rid of you…Something that was pointless when I saw you again on the battlefield, when you should be rotting in the Astral Plane! And all this time, you…you…Blood in your mouth, Grune! Your own nephew! If I remember anything about your sister, Muaraine would kill you if she knew you had her son and—"

"Muaraine is dead. Murdered before Axis's very eyes."

His face had darkened as quickly as the tone of his voice had gone cold, and Panthro's words died on his tongue as the silence took on a darker presence.

"That wasn't part of the plan. It was never part of the plan. I would never have harmed my own sister." the words slipped from Grune's mouth, growing more acidic with each syllable. "And if it weren't for those damned lizards circumventing orders because they wanted to loot Thundera, she would be here too. But she isn't, Panthro. And I am all Axis has left."

"A tragedy brought about by your own hand!" Panthro snapped, but even the twins could hear him struggling to sound hateful above the sorrow. Grune's face merely went impassive as he glanced coolly between the two cells.

"It really _is_ troublesome to have you all in the same spot," he faked a melodramatic sigh. "Of course, this'll make doing _head counts_ easier, heh. Still, that's why we have orders to have you watched. New lizards every handful of hours or so."

"And what makes you think we still won't come up with a plan to escape?" Razor demanded.

"Oh, you might still come up with one," Grune shrugged. "But really, with no weapons, no magic, no _arms_—" he threw Panthro a nasty grin, "—and lizards guarding you every moment, you don't have much in the way of the facilities for escape. Or communication to escape for that matter, unless you all suddenly learn to speak in some new kind of code or something in the next few hours."

It was almost as hopeless as it sounded, until the trader goats jumped to the forefront of Lion-O's mind. He shot a quick glance at Nyrris, their eyes meeting briefly before they pointedly avoided looking at one another again. Grune didn't even notice the exchange, his attention having been caught by the armed lizards approaching the cells.

"Keep a close watch," he told them stoutly, "I wouldn't put anything past these cats."

The lizard on the left nodded, and his partner gave a small sigh. "General Slithe is requesting your presence, sir. It seems he and Generals Addicus and Kaynar want you to join them in a game of Rajah Stones."

"Can't say I'm as much of a gambler as some people," Grune threw Lion-O a pointed look, "But I don't always get enough…entertainment these days." He took one last glance at the cats and waggled his index finger, trying to keep a straight face. "No funny business, kids."

And with that, he strode off down the hall, bursting into a high-pitched, insane laugh that had everyone's fur standing on end. The lizards exchanged a look, shook their heads, and went to stand guard, one by each cell. Everyone fell quiet again, many of them slumping down in their deplorable prisons in gloom, but Lion-O remained standing, angling to try catching Nyrris's eye again.

"So…mal-eyed scale-tongues and ungrateful scummers, huh?" he chuckled weakly, hoping against hope that the others would catch on and that he didn't stumble too much over the unusual words of Trader's cant.

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><p>Cazarak could only thank his lucky stars that Grune's word still held some sway and kept others at a good distance. Kaynar and Addicus frightened him more than he was willing to admit, probably more than the cobras did, and he had no doubts the two would find extreme delight in killing him, were he not such a useful slave. More terrifying yet was the way the two of them eyed young Axis, as though imagining him as a rag doll or supper side dish. The kitten was probably in even more danger than he, and that was before one factored in Slythia and Nagendra's personal interest in the cub.<p>

Regardless, he managed to escort Axis back to his designated room before they could run into any threats, and it was out of a great deal of restraint that he didn't slam the door closed in relief. Relief that was proved to be short-lived, for it wasn't too long after he had fed Axis that the cub made a startling announcement.

"I want to help them."

Cazarak froze in the act of cleaning the room, raising an eyebrow.

"I beg your pardon?" he said quietly.

"I want to help them." Axis lowered his voice, coming over and drawing on his full height to try to look the crested lizard in the eye. "Cazarak, we _have_ to help them!"

"I don't know what you're—"

"The Thundercats!" Axis hissed, blue eyes wide and pleading. "They can't stay down in the dungeon! They're not bad, I know it! We have to free them."

"Axis, listen to what you're saying." Cazarak sighed, sitting the child down. "You will get in trouble if you are seen wandering around again, let alone going anywhere near those cats."

"You could do it." came the suggestion.

"Me?" he spluttered, "Axis—"

"Please?" the cub pleaded, his big blue eyes on the verge of bursting into tears. "If he doesn't kill them, Mumm-Ra's going to let Addicus eat them!"

He had a point there. The lizard shut his mouth, hesitating.

"Please?"

Cazarak refused to look at the pleading cub. There was no way he was going to give in.

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><p>"And you gave in," he muttered to himself sometime later, slipping from shadow to shadow as he snuck through the lair. "Well done, Caz, this is another <em>fine<em> mess you've gotten yourself into."

He had had a few close calls already; apparently someone running around in a cloak was more conspicuous than a slave meandering about on their duties. He hadn't thought of that, and it had nearly cost him, had he not been quick and known enough of the place to slip out of sight before being caught. Still, he couldn't risk the chance that he would venture back down into the dungeons and be recognized, not when he had no legitimate reason for being down there.

"Another _fine_ mess."

Curse Axis for being adorable, and curse himself for not resisting those pleas!

"I'll be lucky to walk away from all this with my life."

Thankfully, despite Grune's constant big talk, the lowest dungeons were not that well guarded. They had been built in haste in a decent-sized area just beyond the old forge-rooms where animal slaves had shaped both the sword of Plun-Darr and the sword of Omens long ago, and most did not like navigating through some of the more snug doorways. Cazarak ducked through the last of them, coming into the pitiful area that had been labeled a dungeon. Just beyond the corner, he could hear irritated voices conversing, and he stepped a bit more cautiously, not wanting to draw attention to his unsanctioned presence. A quick glance around the corner revealed the two newest guards that had recently taken over the watch, grumbling at the prisoners to remain silent.

A second glance and he took in that both guards were wearing helmets.

Cazarak sucked in a deep breath, heart pounding.

"Here goes nothing," he whispered to himself. He rounded the corner, taking care to keep his head bowed low despite his cloak, and called out to the lizard guards.

"Gentlemen!"

They turned together, giving him odd looks.

"Can we help you, uh…"

"Hood Daine." he answered quickly and their eyes widened.

"Hood?" one repeated.

"We hardly ever see spies, let alone talk to them. What can we do for you, sir?" asked the other, dipping into a half-bow. Cazarak hesitated, feeling the eyes of all the captive cats on him, the wheels in his mind racing.

"Sir?" the first lizard prompted.

"It has come to the attention of my commander that a select few of your division might be suitable for Hood training." he answered quickly, speaking the first thing that came to his mind. Luckily for him, both lizards immediately swelled a little, puffing out their chests in pride. But what next? "However…it has been the worry of all newest Hood recruits that typical foot soldiers tend to be a bit…gullible."

They froze, seeming to deflate a bit. "Gullible? What do you mean?"

"How likely are either of you to fall for a dim-witted diversionary tactic?" he demanded briskly. The guards exchanged a glance and a shrug, and one of them gave him another skeptical look.

"Depends. What exactly do you mean, Hood Daine?" he asked slowly.

"Well," Cazarak began, "It's just that there is an astounding level of—DEAR GODS WHAT IS THAT THING?"

The guards jumped at his sudden yelp and followed the direction he pointed, trying to see whatever had frightened him.

"What? What is it?" asked the first, clearly worried he looked stupid in front of a spy for not seeing something he obviously should.

"I'm not afraid of anything!" declared the second, determined not to look as stupid and cowardly as his partner in front of a spy.

Frowning, Cazarak seized his chance and slammed their heads together as hard as he could, wincing at the resounding CLAANNNGGG! that echoed through the hall. For a brief moment, he worried his idea had backfired, as the two guards were still standing upright, but in the next second they crumpled to their knees and fell over, out like torch lights. His frown only deepened.

"I'm not sure whether I should be astounded or thankful that actually worked." he muttered.

"I'd say a bit of both."

He glanced over, straightening his posture and pulling down his hood as he looked the young lion in the eye. True, all of the cats had focused their attention on him at once, but there was something about this one that was inspiring. He was a natural-born leader, and Cazarak could feel that about him, even under the given circumstances. He let his crest rise in encouragement and the young prince tossed him a grin.

"You said your name is Cazarak?" he asked.

"Yes, my lord. But there's no time to explain. I need to get you all out of here."

"A lizard? Helping us? Setting up a jailbreak?" scoffed a towering, scarred panther. "Ha! That's about as likely to happen as Nyrris's prediction."

"Panthro," the prince said quietly, "What do you think he stands to gain from helping us? He has more to lose."  
>The panther's good eye narrowed in a frown, swooping toward Cazarak's arms, which he flicked back and out of sight before any of them could get a good look at the hated metal that wrapped around his flesh.<p>

"I know that you may have your prejudices against my people," Cazarak spoke quietly, taking a tentative step toward the lion prince, "But I need you to trust me if you want to get out of here alive."

"What you're suggesting is impossible." grumbled a young tiger further back in the cell.

"Not impossible…" Panthro remarked thoughtfully, "But there's no way that'll be easy."

"Correct," Cazarak sighed, "And it may require you to take a few risks."

"I would be surprised if it didn't." a bobcat near the tiger remarked dryly.

"What do we need to do?" the lion asked seriously, his blue eyes boring into the young lizard, who sighed heavily.

"I can lead you to the armory to retrieve your weapons," he answered quickly, "Your…pets are being kept there as well. As for those robotic arms—" he pointedly avoided looking at Panthro's capped stumps, "—that will be a bit more difficult, but not by much. But the primary concern is opening one of the exits for you to escape through."

"That doesn't sound too hard," piped up a child, a wildcat cub that was in the opposite cell, her large golden eyes staring up at him.

"If only that were so," Cazarak exhaled, averting his eyes to the floor. "I cannot access the interior switches to open the doors. There are very few places from which…indentured servants like myself…are forbidden, but Mumm-Ra knows if anyone accesses the higher functions of this temple without his permission. I risk a swift death already with what I am already doing, but I have the chance no one will recognize me. However…if I were to attempt to access the switch you need, I _will_ be found out, and I will be lucky if I am killed before I'm given to General Addicus for his next snack."

"We know there's a catch to this plan," came the gentle voice of the snow leopard woman. "Please, tell us. I don't think you'll have long before these guards wake, and it is better that we know what we must do."

"I hate having to ask any of you to do this…" he murmured, clenching his fists. "But I cannot risk this. Not when Axis is depending on me to care for him when General Grune cannot."

"Tell us." the lion prince insisted firmly, and he shut his eyes, clenching and unclenching his fists, inhaling and exhaling deeply, refusing to look at those shining blue orbs. Finally, he opened his eyes again, sparing the prince only a brief glance.

"One of you," he said slowly, "Will have to provide a distraction for the others. Cause a ruckus and hit the switch at the mainframe to open all the doors. Preferably one among your number both quick and agile enough to elude capture. Speed is good, but the ability to think on your feet is better. It's the only way you'll all be able to escape."

A tense hush fell over the cats, and they all looked at one another, inner conflict present in each set of eyes. Cazarak cast his eyes down, clenching his fists again. It was selfish of him, really, but it was truly the only way the situation would work out for the best. Still…he didn't like asking any of them to risk their own skins because he didn't want to. Finally, one among their number spoke.

"I should go."

Cazarak glanced up to see a young ocelot woman staring the prince in the eye, a determined tilt to her chin.

"Nyrris, _no_." he objected at once.

"I don't like it either, Lion-O, but I _am_ the best choice," she argued, "I may not be as fast as Cheetara, or as good at magic as Kuncia, or as battle-experienced as…well…_any_ of you men, but I know a thing or two about keeping a captive audience. And don't tell me I'm not agile enough to keep from being caught. I can do this."

"And I said _no_. If anyone should risk themselves for all of us, it's going to be me." He huffed.

"You _are_ the king, Lion-O, but without you, we have no hope of accomplishing what we're meant to," she pointed out, before frowning and adding, "And don't you tell _me_ 'no.' Gypsies take orders from no one unless we so choose to bow the knee, remember?"

Lion-O's knuckles went white as he gripped the bars of the cell, growling softly and looking away, and Cazarak had to bite his tongue to keep from commenting. He wasn't sure what was going on between the lines, but he had a feeling the story was a bit too long to hear at the moment, and they had other things to worry about.

"You're not going to change her mind, kid." Panthro told the young prince quietly, "And there's no arguing with a woman; you'll never win."

"Fine," Lion-O sighed, "But I don't like this."

"You don't have to," Nyrris responded, "You just have to be willing to accept it."

"Nyrris, are you sure about this?" a white cat further in the back asked her, concern etched on her face.

"Positive." the ocelot forced a cheery grin on her face before turning to Cazarak. "Just tell me what I need to do."

* * *

><p>Five pairs of eyes surveyed the young ocelot's progress in the lavender-tinted surface, watching as she slipped from the safety of the old forge rooms finally up toward the next level, nimbly dodging out of the view of lizard patrols. Since the cell door had opened in the lowest levels, the scrying device on the floor had displayed her advance, much as a surprise to the viewers. They all remained silent, until Kaynar finally cocked his head to the side and spoke.<p>

"Little kitty's got very nice legs." he remarked with a sharp giggle, prompting Addicus to start smacking his lips.

"Oooh, yes, they'd make for a wonderful set of drumsticks!"

"Food-for-brains." Slithe muttered, while Grune gave a slightly hysteric snicker.

Mumm-Ra glanced over his shoulder at his generals, giving them all a rather flat stare. Their laughter started to die down, turning into a chorus of throats being cleared and rather forceful coughing as they returned their attention to the matter at hand.

"Breaking out of prison's a _very_ serious crime," Kaynar declared with the straightest face he could manage. "She's a _bad_ kitty."

"And if there's anything _we_ know about crimes," Addicus added, "It's that they require equally serious punishments."  
>"And she's trying to come here and challenge us on top of it all!" Grune jumped in, sounding altogether far too amused. "Between the four of us, I'm <em>sure<em> we could come up with an appropriate punishment."

"Your orders, Lord Mumm-Ra?" Slithe asked in a voice that was steadily losing its patience. He stared at them for a second longer, then looked back to image of young cat, still steadily making her way closer and closer toward them, picking her path carefully through the halls, and found that he was actually intrigued.

"Let her come."

There was an audible sound of choked squawks behind him.

"W-what?" Slithe sputtered. Mumm-Ra's crimson eyes slipped toward the overweight lizard once, then back to the ocelot, picking out the tiny glow of magic on her forehead, covered by her hair, invisible to mortal eyes.

Yes, this was most intriguing, and perhaps a touch amusing on some levels as well.

"Let her come, unhindered." he repeated. "I'm curious to see how this plays out."

"But…but…sir!" Slithe stammered helplessly.

"Letting one cat run free means there's a chance she's going to free them all!" Grune objected, sounding far more sane than he had in a while, "You really want to risk their escape?"

"Ha. You overestimate them, Grune. They are on my ground now; they won't escape. And," he turned to glare at them all again, red eyes narrowing, "Do you _really_ think _I_ cannot handle one unarmed woman on my own?"


	12. Chapter 11: A Narrow Escape

Sorry about the delays on this chapter, everyone! But it is here now, with my honest and sincere wish that you all enjoy it. Fair warning: The ending of this chapter may stun you temporarily speechless, so you might want to wait and save your reviews for after you have managed to read it through a second time and gathered your thoughts. And remember: credit for all fancharacters used is given in the copy of this chapter in my deviantArt gallery! R&R please!

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 11: A Narrow Escape<span>

Nyrris had never doubted that her aunt had poured some of her magic into the symbol she had painted on Nyrris' forehead, but when the lines Priséa had traced began to grow hot, she started to wonder just how much magic her aunt had put into that simple spell of protection.

"Or…is it really as simple as I first thought…?" she murmured to herself, remembering the shadows she'd spied above her shoulder in the stream over a week ago. She hadn't thought too much of her aunt's "blessing," but then again, Priséa Ocelotti never did anything by halves.

The corridors of the vast temple just seemed to twist on and on, each resembling the next like an endless maze, and navigating the path Cazarak had spoken of was proving difficult. She had precious little time, but couldn't bring herself to break into an all-out run; either by way of her aunt's spell or sheer luck, somehow Nyrris seemed to avoid the worst of all the lizard patrols, and the few she did encounter acted as though she wasn't there. They would walk on by, their eyes slipping strangely over her without any sign of realization a cat was loose, as though she did not even exist. The first couple of times this occurred, the ocelot pinned it down to luck, but after the third time, she offered a silent prayer up to whatever gods were watching her, and whispered a hurried thanks.

She didn't want to push her luck.

After what felt like a good quarter-hour of searching out the right corridor, Nyrris was starting to double back when she felt it: pure humming waves of undeniable power, of sheer evil, of dark magic. The fur on her shoulders and the back of her neck rose sharply, and she hissed involuntarily at the sudden realization, freezing in place. After a few seconds, she forced herself to relax slightly, taking deep breaths as she looked toward the hall she felt the magic coming from.

"Well then," she muttered with a grim smile, "Three guesses says that's where I'm supposed to go."

Taking a glance around the adjacent halls, she drew in a deep breath, steeling herself, and darted toward the corridor. Her heartbeat started to pick up, and she started to lengthen her stride, adrenaline beginning to kick in.

_Afraid, my dear?_

She stopped, reeling forward. The words sounded clearly, but in her mind, not her ears. And the voice…she had heard that voice before being knocked out in the midst of battle. A gasp broke free of her lips, her hands flew up to touch the sides of her head, and she staggered, abruptly fighting to keep her balance.

_Oh, don't work yourself into a mindless panic; _The voice went on, its tone calm, _I've known you were coming since you got out of your cell._

Her blood ran cold. He…_he_ had known…? Then her element of surprise was lost! She broke into a sweat and looked around wildly. Where? _Where_ was the room with the control panels? Did he know she was headed there? Did he know why? Was there even a point in continuing on?

_You seem discouraged. What happened to your valiant confidence? I thought you were coming to challenge me._

There was a mocking undertone in the words, and a sliver of indignant annoyance broke through Nyrris's sea of adrenaline and fear. That was a direct test! She straightened, planting her feet firmly apart as she fought to regain her composure, clenching and unclenching her fists, swallowing over the dry knot in her throat. And yet when she tried to continue, she found she could not take a step forward.

_Perhaps you require a little encouragement._

A rumbling sound, a tremor began to build, moving through the floor and threatening to unbalance Nyrris again, accompanied by the scraping sound of a vast door sliding open. She turned sharply, and found the door, leading into a dark room just beyond, and the sensation of power, of magic, of evil, grew stronger by tenfold. Her heart was hammering a tattoo against her ribcage now, and still she couldn't move, prompting another whisper in her mind.

_Still hesitant, even when I give you a direct invitation to enter._

Hesitant? That hardly even began to describe it! She swallowed again, and took a step back.

_Clever of you to be on your guard. But you see, my dear, I INSIST!_

Something shot of out of the darkness, seizing hold of her ankles, and before she could register what it was, she was yanked off her feet and dragged inside. The floor was cold and burned as she was dragged against her will, too smooth and polished for her to dig her nails in to slow herself down. And then, abruptly, she came to a stop, and whatever had a hold on her ankles unwound, releasing its vice grip. Struggling to sit up, she took a quick glance down, seeing what had been dragging her, a sickening feeling rising in her stomach as she watched Mumm-Ra pull his bandages back in.

"Kind of you to finally join us," he remarked dryly, red eyes burning in the shadows of his cowl as he watched her, "The next time, if I allow you to make it the entire way here, I expect you to enter upon invitation. It's impolite to refuse."

Her eyes darted around as he spoke, taking in the high steps to one side, the strange ring in the floor glowing a soft lavender, and the quartet of statues that rose around it, but at this last remark, she looked directly at him.

" 'The next time?' Is that supposed to be a joke?" she said, surprised by how calm her own voice came out sounding, "If I had known you had a sense of humor, I would have brushed up on my skills before coming here."

The red eyes flashed, something glittering in their crimson depths, but he said nothing.

"I mean, after all, you're probably going to kill me in a few minutes, so the chances of there being a 'next time' for me to break out of a cell and sneak all the way up here are kind of, well…nonexistent, right?" she went on, feeling a little emboldened.

"I would advise you not to bore or anger me," he retorted, turning to the scrying ring in the floor, "You might live longer."

"Excuse me?" she asked, getting to her feet.

"You were sent up here to cause a distraction for the others," he declared simply, raising a clawed hand above the ring's glowing surface, "And you're doing a very poor job of it."

Images began to blur and sharpen as the surface of the ring undulated like water, and Nyrris's adrenaline kicked in a second time.

"If you knew that the entire time, then why did you let me come up here on my own? Why not have me captured and brought here to be tortured before throwing me back into the cell? What does the great Mumm-Ra get out of letting a distraction do its job?"

He paused, his raised hand dropping a fraction, and she realized her words had surprised him for a second.

"All very valid questions," he replied, slowly turning to look her in the eyes again, "And quite clever. Perhaps too clever. It's always been troublesome, dealing with women who are too intelligent for their own good."

She crossed her arms and worked up a smirk. "Wait'll I tell Kuncia you said that." She murmured.

"Not to mention talkative." He added, scowling.

"Are you going to answer my question at all?" She demanded, trying to focus on her annoyance in hopes it would hide her fear. His hand raised, the beginnings of his spell sparking at his fingertips, and Nyrris reacted on instinct. She leapt to the side, throwing her weight forward and bouncing on her hands, springing forward as she flipped over. But Mumm-Ra remained faster than she had hoped, and he swung as she moved, the lancing energy of his spell crashing into her as she completed the spring. Burning, stabbing needle points of electric fire arched through her, and she collapsed to the floor with a shriek of pain. The pain intensified briefly, then stopped altogether as Mumm-Ra released the spell, and she was left shuddering, doing all she could to shake off the remaining sparks of energy. Blinking rapidly, she managed to raise her head, unable to do more than watch in horror as he took slow, deliberate steps toward her.

"You be wise to learn when you should hold your tongue," he said, "As for your question…_why_ would I simply allow you to stride in here unchallenged?"

She raised her head, and his red eyes burned as she met them.

"The answer is that you have unfortunately brought _yourself_ to my attention."

* * *

><p>The initial task of retrieving Panthro's arms had indeed, proved the more difficult by far, but the Wily twins had pulled it off without a hitch, and Cazarak the lizard was looking at the kittens with a newfound respect as he led the cats toward the armory.<p>

"Yeah, you learn not to let those cute faces fool ya," Panthro chuckled when he caught Cazarak staring at the twins in utter astonishment.

"If I didn't know any better," Cazarak remarked in his soft voice as they crept carefully down one of the lower halls, "I would have said that you didn't need me to help you escape."

"What is your story in all this, Cazarak?" Tygra asked skeptically, "Why haven't _you_ escaped by now if you wanted to?"

The scarlet crest on the lizard's head flattened abruptly, and when he spoke again, his tone was as cold and hard as ice.

"My parents died in forced service. We were taken in under Mumm-Ra's orders after my father refused to serve in his army, and were branded with _these_."

He shifted the sleeve of his cloak, holding out his arm to display the metal band.

"You don't think I want to be free of this, tiger-prince?" he hissed. "Do you think I _enjoy_ the life that has been forced upon me?"

"He didn't mean it that way." Cheetara said gently when Tygra recoiled in shame. Cazarak continued to glare at the tiger a moment longer, then visibly started to relax again, his crest rising slowly.

"I will escape when the time is right," he said quietly, "I had been in the process of nearly escaping when Axis was brought here. I've remained because I cannot force myself to abandon a child, cat or lizard, to a fate as cruel as what awaits them in this prison."

At this, Cougaress stepped forward and gave the lizard's shoulder a gentle squeeze, offering him an encouraging smile, and Kuncia followed suit.

"You are very noble, Cazarak." the snow leopard murmured.

"Noble…and kind-hearted." Cougaress added.

"You give praise where none has been earned," Cazarak said quietly, but his smile gave him away as he gestured for them to crouch before the short hall before the armory door. "Knowing the way the guards operate," he whispered, "There's a good chance that door will be open and they'll be facing it. Can any of you see?"

Razor shifted, quietly volunteering, and peeked around the corner briefly before resuming his crouch.

"Open. The guards look bored and they're not paying attention, but they _are_ facing us." he hissed at the others.

Jess'ica, who had remained silent for a longer time than normal, bit her lower lip and stifled a growl of frustration. "There goes our chance at a surprise attack."

"You can't rush everything head-on." Tygra muttered at her.

Cazarak shot them all a fierce look of warning before taking a quick peek around the corner.

"Well?" Lion-O asked softly.

"I'm not sure—" Cazarak started to answer before Kuncia touched his shoulder.

"Allow me." She whispered. She shut her eyes, the rhythm of her breathing becoming slow and steady, and brought her hands up, whispering under her breath in an esoteric tongue none of them recognized. Soft rushes of icy blue light began to swirl and gather between her palms, and her whispers went ever softer as she raised the magic, touching the corners of her eyelids with her fingertips. Her spell swirled around her face for a brief instant before she gathered it in one hand, clenching her magic in a fist, and releasing it sharply, pointing with her index and middle fingers down the hall. The spell swirled and danced through the air almost lazily before flying into the room. The lizards on guard didn't even notice it until the spell was upon them, and by then, it was too late; they were already yawning and slumping forward.

"Excellent. We should hurry, that spell only lasts so long." Kuncia said brightly, getting to her feet, the others hastening to follow her example.

"What did you do?" Wilykat asked.

"I just put them to sleep," Kuncia answered him, tossing his sister a wink.

"Snarf! Kewi!" Lion-O said suddenly, rushing into the armory room at the sound of pitiful mewling. The others rushed after him to see the two pets locked up in a tiny, cramped little cage, pawing between the bars to reach their masters. Without a word, Wilykat stepped forward and began working at the lock on the cage with a hairpin borrowed from Kuncia, while the rest of the cats set to retrieving their weapons.

"This is almost too easy," Tygra murmured to his brother, giving a grave nod to the sleeping lizards as he put his whip and gun back in their holsters on his belt. The younger prince glanced at the lizards, his expression darkening.

"I'm not going to question the good luck we've made for ourselves so far. It might jinx us." He replied, "We need to just hurry; every moment we waste, Nyrris is in greater danger."

"You're worried about her." Razor said abruptly, sounding surprised and somewhat suspicious as he gave Lion-O a dubious stare.

"He is right to be." Cazarak murmured gravely.

Silence fell and they finished reclaiming their belongings as quickly as possible, mindful of the limitations of Kuncia's spell. Only the Sword of Omens and its gauntlet were not found among their other possessions, and Cazarak explained that one as they fled the armory.

"Your weapon was taken to the serpents, Prince Lion-O. They have orders from Mumm-Ra to retrieve the war stone from the sword and the spirit stone from the gauntlet, and thus they are working on finding a method to do so." He spoke as they darted down the halls, covering his face in the event they ran into more patrols. "You will find both the sword and gauntlet with them. But be warned, cobras are far more formidable and aware than you may think. The only way that you'll be able to get out unharmed is by being quick, thinking on your feet, and catching them by surprise."

"Then I should go ahead and find them," Lion-O declared, "If you will lead the others to the exit, or however far you are able to take them, then I can retrieve the sword _and _Nyrris. I don't like the idea of splitting up, but it's the best chance we have to all get out of here safely."

"You will make a very wise king," the lizard said, blinking his yellow eyes slowly, "I only pray that one day you shall have a kingdom again to rule with that wisdom."

Lion-O smiled back at him, a spark of hope in his chest, and he inclined his head. "I cannot begin to thank you enough for what you're doing, Cazarak. I promise you, one day, I'm going to get you out of here. You're going to be free." He said quietly. The lizard's eyes widened, but he merely smiled back.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty, if I do not hold my breath in waiting for that to happen, as it's more likely I shall be executed for some reason or another before you fulfill such a promise." he said dryly. "But know that I appreciate and believe what you say."

"Tell me where to find these cobras." Lion-O said with a nod.

* * *

><p>Nyrris frowned up at Mumm-Ra, trying to ignore the feeling of panic building inside her. "What are you talking about?" she demanded, "How could I possibly have brought myself to your attention?"<p>

For a long moment, he said nothing, watching her closely, and then he moved, striking out with a hand, his sharp nails connecting with her forehead, scratching lines of fire into her flesh, making her shriek in pain.

"Filthy shaman magic," he muttered in disgust, "It's a wasted effort; such a minor spell of protection is useless against me. But then, this shaman wasn't trying to protect you from power such as my own directly. No, this was to prevent you from learning the truth."

Nyrris winced, touching the burning, bleeding scratches, feeling the last vestiges of her aunt's magic slip away like water between cracks in stone. She looked up, fighting back tears, and worked up her best glare.

"What are you saying? How did you know about that?" she demanded.

"Every master of magic leaves traces of their own signature in their work," Mumm-Ra hissed quietly, "And the shaman that marked you was trying to hide _your_ power. But it was a poor attempt, and easily removed."

She almost snapped at him, infuriated at how casually he insulted her aunt…but she found she was becoming more curious at what he implied.

"You are intrigued," he remarked, thin lips curling upward in a sneer.

"No," she lied immediately, then thought better of it and admitted, "Well…Perhaps I am, a bit. Are you saying you know what I am?"

"I have known," came the blunt retort, "As I said, you brought yourself to my attention."

Before she could demand an explanation, he raised his left arm, extending it fully to the side. She tensed, figuring he was preparing to cast another spell, but he merely began to pull of a section of bandage that was, she noticed, curiously not attached to the rest. Once he had the entire length of it unwound, he lowered his arm and held the bandage out to her, red eyes studying her carefully.

"I believe this is yours." he said dryly.

She scowled, snatching it from him and glaring at the length of linen…until she realized what she was holding, her breath escaping in a gasp.

"My spellweave!"

"It was obvious your shaman originally wove it," he remarked, "But given enough time, that spell began to pick up traces of _your_ magic."

She looked up at him, her mind reeling with the impossibility of it all.

"Then you…_you_ were the crow…?" she whispered, hardly believing the words as they slipped from her mouth, "I…I…_helped_…_you_?"

From somewhere in the darkness of the antechamber came a high, manic giggle, followed by other laughter, mocking her.

"Indeed." Mumm-Ra murmured, still watching her closely.

"To think, all those morals and ideals, all just thrown to waste because your bleeding heart couldn't let it lie." One of the laughing voices rumbled.

"And like any bleeding heart, you helped…only to wind up helping the worst enemy of all you Thundercats!" Another of them hissed in scratchy tones.

"Hee-hee-hee! Kinda funny in an ironic way, isn't it little kitty?" The manic voice remarked, ending in more shrieking laughter.

Nyrris's head began to swim, the room around her warped in the edges of her vision, and it was all she could do just to focus on the pattern of the cloth in her hands to keep from falling unconscious.

* * *

><p>Lion-O had never been one for stealth; it was Tygra that excelled in that area. But the Sword of Omens was <em>his<em> responsibility, and so he would be the one to reclaim it. Furthermore, he _had_ to find Nyrris. Every second that passed he grew more anxious, unable to bear the idea that she might have run into Kaynar or Addicus or Slithe…or worse.

"Well Lion-O, just make sure you get this done quick," he muttered to himself, ducking and weaving as he made his way to the hall Cazarak had described, doing his best to keep out of sight. He and the others had been lucky so far; none of them had been spotted that he could tell, and no alarms had been raised, and he grew further worried that his luck was about to run out. Still, he found the "chapel" with little difficulty, drawn by the sounds of raised voices and acidic hissing. Glancing inside, he saw several of the snakes, gathered in the center of a raised dais, forming a ring around his sword and gauntlet, arguing furiously.

"Foolsss! Our Dark Massster will have our headsss if we cannot remove the stonesss!" One of them snapped at the others.

"But we cannot do thisss without his power!" Another shot back. "Thisss is magic far beyond our order! These spellsss are old—"

"And we will be dead if we fail!" A third declared sharply.

"We mussst try again." Said another. Lion-O tensed. It was now or never.

"You! Don't twitch a muscle, cat!" a voice behind him barked, the scent of wild dog filling his nostrils. The shout was loud enough to draw the attention of the cobras, who turned toward the entrance. Time seemed to slow as Lion-O flung himself forward, and everything around him seemed to move at the speed of tree sap. He charged into the ring of cobras, vaulting himself between them as he scooped up sword and gauntlet, springing above the rest of the snakes and coming down from the dais in a roll.

"WHAT ARE YOU STANDING AROUND FOR, IDIOTS?" His pursuer shouted, and he glanced over his shoulder to see a she-dog jabbing a spear in his direction. The snakes turned their heads, following the direction she pointed, and staring at him with those still-stunned faces. He didn't waste another second and raced from the room out the other door, gaining his second wind.

"YOU HEARD DIJANA! SSSOUND THE ALARM!" One of the snakes shrieked, "THE THUNDERCATS ARE LOOSSSE!"

A loud, wailing klaxon erupted in the halls as the lights flashed a blinking red, and Lion-O couldn't resist a grim smile. He might have drawn attention to himself, but it would work to everyone's advantage in the end.

All he had to do was find Nyrris.

* * *

><p>The cats were at the exit door, waiting with bated breath for it to open, when the alarm sounded. Cazarak jumped, jerking his hood down over his face out of instinct, and looked wildly to the far corridor, cursing when no one could be seen at the control panel. The cats reacted instantly, drawing their weapons, expressions going grim.<p>

"One of them was seen." Razor spat.

"Or one of 'em got caught." Panthro muttered.

"Don't think like that, you two!" Cougaress hissed, trying to calm Kewi.

"I'm afraid this is where I must take my leave of you," Cazarak murmured, darting furtive looks down the adjacent halls. "I cannot risk staying any longer."

"Cazarak," Tygra said quietly, approaching the lizard, "I'm sorry about what I said earlier, and…don't give up hope. My brother _will _come back to free you one day. If he said it, he meant it."

The lizard gave a curt nod, glancing around at each of them. "I hope we see each other again one day. It has been an honor to meet you all." he declared. The men nodded, and without warning, Wilykit surged forward, tears in her bright golden eyes, and hugged Cazarak around his middle. Before the lizard could object, Cougaress, Kuncia, and Cheetara followed suit, enveloping the reptile in a crushing hug before quickly releasing him.

"Better move fast," Cheetara whispered to him, "Don't let them catch you."

"Run, Cazarak, and be safe!" Cougaress added.

He gave another quick nod, face flushing a dark green, and fled down the corridor, silent as a shadow, leaving the cats to wait anxiously.

* * *

><p>"It was only inevitable," Mumm-Ra was saying, "You were drawn to me."<p>

"Like draws like." A voice that Nyrris was sure belonged to Grune came from the shadows, speaking in a rather cheery tone, given the circumstances. She looked about, trying to find the generals hidden in the darkness, but on seeing nothing, she frowned up at Mumm-Ra once more.

" 'Like draws like?'" She prompted.

"I am one of the last and most powerful remaining sorcerers in the universe," he said, drawing himself up proudly, "It was to be expected that you were drawn to my power when your own is so similar in its nature."

"I'm a…sorcerer?" she guessed, startled when Mumm-Ra threw back his head and began to laugh, a horrid, terrifying sound that began deep in his chest and grew louder and louder the longer it went on.

"Hardly, my dear!" He sneered. "Your magic is parasitic in nature, drawing on the energies of the less powerful beings around you, using their own strength against them! Wild and untrained, you're perhaps even more dangerous. No, you are no sorcerer, my dear. _You_ are a warlock."

A warlock? Nyrris tried to think back, remembering the conversation Cheetara and Kuncia had had with Cougaress about different types of magic-users. _What_ had Kuncia said about warlocks? She looked up at Mumm-Ra once more, hoping sincerely that he was lying, stringing her along, when he offered her a hand.

"You are useless as you are now to the Thundercats." he said softly, red eyes glittering with something she couldn't quite read. "But I…I can show you what it means to be a warlock. You will learn the taste of true magic, of real power."

"And if I refuse?" she said flatly.

"Then you'll die," he replied, the palm of his outstretched hand starting to hum with the power of his spell again, "You have no option to leave here alive."

"THE THUNDERCATS ARE LOOSSSE!"

The hissing shout from somewhere down the outside hall was accompanied almost instantly by an impossibly loud klaxon and flashing red lights. Mumm-Ra and his generals turned about immediately, and Nyrris seized her chance, flinging herself to the side and breaking into a stumbling run. There was an angry hiss behind her, followed by a loud crack and the shattering of stone as a spell just missed her. Once outside the door, she turned, starting to run back the way she came…

Only to crash into the last person she was expecting to see.

"Lion-O? You're supposed to be with the others!" she gasped.

"No time to explain!" He roared, seizing her hand and charging down one of the other halls, "RUN!"

She wanted to protest that he wasn't giving her much choice in the matter, dragging her along and quite forgetting that she followed no royal commands, when a shout from behind made her adrenaline kick in.

"After them!" Mumm-Ra roared. "They have the stones! AND BRING ME THE GIRL!"

Panic lent speed to her feet and she gripped Lion-O's hand tightly as they fought to keep ahead of the lizards that began to swarm the corridor.

"Why did you come back for me?" she demanded.

"Nyrris! Not a good time for this talk!" he shot back.

"I told you I could handle it myself!" she went on as he smashed a number of lizards aside with the sheer weight of his gauntlet.

"And you ought to know by now I'm not gonna leave you behind!"

"Yeah, because my aunt threatened you—"

"Look Nyrris, maybe I care about you! Ever consider that possibility?"

"Oh good lord, I should have had you _pegged_ for the "clingy" type of little brother during that battle!" she groaned.

"Get used to it!" he retorted, continuing to smash his way past more lizards as they ran on. "Come on, this way! There should be another control panel around here somewhere, closer to the door!"

"How would you know?"

"Long story, tell it to you when we're out of here!"

They sprinted into a larger hall with a towering ceiling, when Lion-O slowed down a bit, pointing out a panel on the wall.

"There!" he exclaimed, his grip on her growing tighter as he tensed at the sight of more lizards swarming the corridor. "Whiskers!"

"And _this_ is why you have _me_ along." she reminded him, bounding forward toward the oncoming horde, launching herself into a flip.

"And just where do the two of you think you're going?" came a snarl from behind. Lion-O didn't watch as Nyrris made her way to the panel with her spellweave in hand, turning to glance behind him, finding an enraged Mumm-Ra on their heels, his robes billowing ominously. He drew the Sword of Omens from its sheath on the gauntlet, the blade extending to its full span.

"We're leaving." he growled.

"Yet again you are mistaken, Lion-O," Mumm-Ra sneered, his red eyes slipping past the young prince to Nyrris as she struck the panel to open the temple doors, the lizards around her backing down at his gaze, "_She_ isn't going anywhere."

A growl built in the young lion's throat as he leveled the blade.

"You're not going to lay a hand on her if I have anything to say about it."

"Lion-O!" Nyrris called, panic in her voice as the doors rumbled open.

He couldn't help it; he turned to face her, and in that moment Mumm-Ra's spell hit him, striking him square in the chest, a blunt smack of electric energy that locked up his muscles and set them to fire. He screamed in pain, fighting to stay upright, to keep his grip on the Sword of Omens, anchoring on the sound of Nyrris screaming his name.

"LION-O!"

Then, just as suddenly as it had hit him, the spell dissipated, and he blinked through his tear-filled vision to see Nyrris rushing at Mumm-Ra, seizing the undead demon's hands. But that wasn't the worst part; no, it was growing smile on that monstrous face, that look of delighted satisfaction, as though Nyrris had just given him something he had been waiting for.

"Nyrris!" Lion-O croaked, the resonating fire of the spell still scorching his throat.

"Run, Lion-O!" she called over her shoulder in a strained voice, matching Mumm-Ra's smile with an angry glare, "GO! I'll be right behind you!"

"Hardly," came the dark, rasping laugh, "I told you, you won't be leaving here alive."

"Nyrris!" Lion-O called again, flexing his grip on the sword's hilt as he watched the red-violet energy begin to race up her arms. She gritted her teeth and glared at him over her shoulder, eyes filled with tears of pain as she managed to spit out one word.

"_GO!_"

For once, his heart was against him, even though he knew she was right. He ran at her voice, ran toward the doors, toward the other cats, batting lizards aside that offered little resistance, and all the while his senses screamed at him, rebelling, telling him to go back and save her. There was a loud beep behind him and the doors ahead began to close. He raced forward, determined now to get to the others.

Nyrris would make it somehow. She would make it. He would get to the other side of the door and when it closed shut behind him, she'd be out there already, chuckling weakly and cracking some joke about how she had both he and Mumm-Ra fooled.

Suddenly he realized why Tygra had always said he was a bad liar.

He was just through, the doors almost completely sealed behind him, when he heard a double scream coming from inside the temple, a woman's scream of torment and a man's roar of pain. He spun on his heel, the door shutting too fast for him to fling out his hand.

"_NYRRIS!_"

* * *

><p>She had seen the spell seconds before it had formed, and without thinking, she had rushed forward, her feet taking her not to her friend, but straight toward his worst enemy. Those crimson eyes followed her approach, and he released the spell in time to catch her hands, long, thin fingers twining between her own and coming down in a vice grip, his thin mouth stretching into a terrifying smile.<p>

It only took a second for her to feel something bolstering her spirit, dragging her senses further into her mind, to a strange, quiet pool of energy that laid in wait.

"Nyrris!" Lion-O yelled from somewhere behind her as she latched onto the energy, pulling it out. She risked a sideways glance over her shoulder and managed to grate out against the strain of the—of _her_—mysterious energy a response.

"Run, Lion-O! GO! I'll be right behind you!"

For the second time that hour she heard Mumm-Ra laugh, a dark chuckle that only heightened the terror his leer inspired. "Hardly," he said, "I told you, you won't be leaving here alive."

She felt his spell beginning against her palms, and tugged at her own energy. It felt alive, strong, and strangest of all, _hungry_. It wanted to _pull_ power from his spell, to add it to its own force.

Was this her power, then? Was this what the power of a warlock always felt like?

How long had her aunt kept it hidden from her all those years?

"Nyrris!" she heard Lion-O yell again as the electric fire of sorcerous magic slammed into her arms like a galeforce wind, buoyed by invisible strength. Her energy responded instantly, fighting to absorb the spell, to draw it deeper inside her flesh, and she fought against it, trying to block out the mental connection to the magic. Her eyes welling up from the effort and pain, she looked over her shoulder at him one last time, speaking through gritted teeth.

"_GO!_"

Finally he responded, turning and running, despite the look on his face that declared it was the last thing he wanted to be doing. Relief registered in the back of her mind as she turned back to Mumm-Ra, whose smile had melted into a fierce scowl.

"How abhorrently _touching_," he hissed, regathering the force behind his spell, making her give a soft cry of pain, "Perhaps one day I shall order you to kill him."

Anger surged inside her again, numbing some of the pain. "No one orders a gypsy, corpse-breath," she hissed back, "And I bow the knee to no one!"

"You'll bow to me."

His spell attacked her with renewed vigor, its energy mixing with her own like intertwining tongues of fire, and his cold, skeletal hands gripped hers even tighter as she began to scream.

"_Submit_." he snarled, forcing her down. She struggled briefly, shaking and trembling against it, until finally one of her knees touched the floor in a half-bow.

And in that instant, her magic broke free of its restraints, tracing the same lines back up and into Mumm-Ra's spell, sending an equal amount of force back against him, and he began to scream as well, a roar of pain and surprise that echoed and danced off the walls. And for a brief second, one other voice screamed as well.

"_NYRRIS!_"

There was a low rumbling shudder as the doors to the temple shut once more, and the tremor that followed rocked Nyrris's precarious balance, making her fall forward onto both knees, nearly pulling Mumm-Ra down as well. And the spell surged on, attacking them both, burning deeper and deeper, piercing both demon and cat completely from the inside-out with its force. And when at last it did recede, it left Nyrris drained and exhausted, unconscious before she fell limply to the floor.


	13. Chapter 12: The Hidden Blades

**A/N: Well, as if it didn't take me damned long enough to write this chapter. Sorry about the delays, everyone. I've got a lot going on right now, the least of which is the beginning planning stages of my wedding. So I'm really sorry for the delays on this, and I'm sorry if my writing's a bit rusty. It's been a while since I wrote Mortal Bonds, and getting back into the muse for it is killer. But regardless, I got the chapter finished, and hit the important points. Please R&R, and remember: credit for all fancharacters used is given to the proper parties in the copy of this chapter in my deviantArt gallery!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 12: The Hidden Blades<span>

When she came to, Nyrris was startled to find herself in a small, well-furbished room on a linen-covered, strange bed. She felt peculiar, as though a lingering sensation of surging electricity continued to course through her limbs, and she was ravenously hungry.

"So you finally woke up." A voice nearby grunted. She sat up with a groan, and turned to see who spoke. Seated on a chair with her face set in a dark scowl was a rather edgy-looking dog-woman. Her fur was a burnt-orange sort of color marked with white, and her hair was a darker shade of ginger-spice. She wore leathers that were simple in design, but on a closer glance revealed to be layered, like armor, and she was casually spinning a makeshift lock-pick in one hand, as though she knew a formidable alternate use for the thing. When Nyrris met her eyes, the dog-woman's ears twitched backward, threatening to flatten against her head entirely.

"H-how long have I been out?" Nyrris asked.

"A day," her guard answered dryly, as though this news were a great tragedy, "Not that anyone expected you to recover that fast. His Royal Rottingness said you used enough power in your little magic trick to be out for a week."

"_Feel_ like I've been out for a week," Nyrris croaked, "So hungry."

"Then you're lucky. Some food was brought in earlier in case you woke up." The dog-woman said, gesturing at a diminutive table the ocelot hadn't noticed before, which bore a small tray of food upon it. She got up, rolling off the bed and practically throwing herself upon the food, biting greedily into the cold loaf of bread. She felt the eyes of the guard on her the entire time, and after she finished shoveling down the bread, she grabbed the large piece of fruit off the tray, cracked it in half, and held out the larger piece to her. The dog-woman recoiled in shock.

"It's morning, right? Then you've got to eat, too. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day." Nyrris said. The dog frowned, glancing between her and the proffered food, and Nyrris rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on! If it was poisoned, you'd know better than me. Besides, it's a family tradition; no one gets left out of a meal, even if there's not a lot of food to go around. I don't feel right, eating in front of you and not sharing any."

"You're crazy, cat." Her guard snorted, but she finally took the fruit, if a tad reluctantly.

"Nyrris," She said between bites, "My name is Nyrris Ocelotti."

"…Dijana." The dog-woman said after a pause. "Of the dhole clans. Not that there's much of the clans left any more."

"What happened to them, if you don't mind my asking?" Nyrris asked quietly, looking up from her breakfast.

"Thundera." Dijana growled. "Thundera happened."

Nyrris's eyes went wide. "I…I didn't know. I'm sorry," she murmured, "I've only ever heard good things about Thundera."

"Yeah, well…" Dijana started to say, when a look crossed her features and she redoubled her stare, arching an eyebrow, "Haven't you ever…"

"My family has traveled all over Third Earth," Nyrris replied, shaking her head, "But I have never been to Thundera. We're gypsies."

At this, the dhole woman relaxed a bit, shifting her weight where she sat. "I grew up in Thundera. My father and mother moved there from Dog City sometime before I was born." She said, before her expression went dark and cold. "Can't say I have any good memories of cats in general."

"I see…" Nyrris said slowly, resuming her eating with less fervor, until Dijana finally stood up from her seat and gave the ocelot woman a pointed look.

"Come. His Supreme Undead Lordship requested you be brought to him once you had woken. I think you've had plenty of time to eat." She said, and Nyrris grudgingly complied. After all, what choice did she have?

"Dijana, may I ask you something?"

The dhole glared at her sharply, as though the sudden use of her name was offensive, but she nodded anyway.

"Why," Nyrris said slowly as they left the room and started down a long corridor, "Is Mumm-Ra having me treated like this? Ideally, shouldn't I be dead or left in a cell somewhere to rot? Why am I in living quarters being looked after, and taken to see him like this? It makes no sense."

This gave Dijana pause. She slowed her pace for a moment, frowning, clearly deep in thought on the matter. Finally, she shook her ginger-spice head helplessly.

"To be honest with you, I don't know. It makes no sense to me, either." She replied. "But I'm not about to question it, myself. Mumm-Ra's plans always make sense in time, once they've played themselves out."

Nyrris bit her lip, unsure how to respond to that. If she was a warlock, if she could learn how to harness and control the kind of power she had tapped into yesterday…well, then she could sort of understand Mumm-Ra's interest in keeping her alive. But why not lock her in a cell, threaten her with starvation if she didn't cooperate, have her tortured into submission? Something about this entire situation just didn't add up.

She was so lost in her pondering she almost didn't see the two figures approaching them from the opposite end of the hall, and she nearly jumped a foot when the little saber-tooth cub came charging up to her.

"Hello, Miss Nyrris! Hi, Dijana!" He burst out excitedly.

Dijana pulled up short, glancing from Axis to Nyrris.

"Axis, you know this cat?" She asked.

"Uh-huh!" The kitten answered, turning his sweet smile from one woman to the other. "Uncle Grune told me all about the Thundercats when I went to the lower dungeon! And Miss Nyrris is the only one that we caught when they escaped!"

Nyrris glanced from the cub to the figure with him, stifling a response and doing her best to act inconspicuous. For his part, Cazarak the lizard gave absolutely no sign that he recognized her, and redirected his attention to Dijana.

"I apologize if we are hindering you, Miss Dijana," he said quietly, "Axis insisted on coming by to greet you."

Dijana blinked in surprise, her expression softening slightly.

"No, that's alright," she replied, a note of flattered confusion in her voice, "Is there something you wanted, Axis?"

The kitten shrugged, his blue eyes huge and innocent. "Just wanted to tell you to have a nice day." He answered, throwing both women off-guard. "You always walk around looking so grumpy all the time."

"Axis!" Cazarak hissed in a scolding tone, his crest flattening sharply, tail lashing the air, and those blue eyes turned up to him.

"What?" said Axis. "It's _true_."

Dijana stuttered, rendered completely speechless for a moment, and Nyrris had to suppress a snicker. Grune's nephew or not, the saber-tooth cub was really adorable. He was completely oblivious to the racial animosity between cats and dogs, and there was something profoundly untainted in him, despite who his closest relative was and the circumstance he was in. She glanced from him to Cazarak, watching the lizard berate his young charge for being impolite, and it struck her out of the blue that the soft-spoken slave probably had a major point of responsibility in nurturing Axis.

"It's fine, really," Dijana finally managed to speak, and Axis gave her a playful grin before he lunged forward and hugged the dhole woman's legs.

"Have a good day!" He exclaimed before releasing her and trotting off, "I gotta go now! Uncle Grune's waiting for me in the training hall! Bye, Dijana! Bye, Miss Nyrris!"

"Axis!" Cazarak groaned. "Get back here! Excuse me, ladies!"

And the two were left standing the hall with a few moments of awkward silence after he charged past them, desperate not to lose sight of the kitten. Finally, Nyrris turned to look at Dijana, unable to hide a smirk at the sight of the dog's perplexed expression.

"Cute kid, huh?"

"Urgh…shut up, cat."

She grumbled under her breath the rest of the way as she led Nyrris further and further into the heart of the temple, and the ocelot woman took care to walk just a step behind her. After all, her smile served to only make Dijana all the more irritable, and there was no sense in building a lot of ill feelings between them if Nyrris remained there. Instead, she simply committed to memory Dijana's reaction to Axis and Cazarak to memory, just as she memorized the path they were taking. Gods knew, she might need it some night if she were to try escaping. And as they came closer and closer to their destination, escape became more and more of a desperate need to her; she could _feel_ Mumm-Ra's evil saturating the air like a poisonous cloud as she got closer to where he was. And behind it, roiling impatiently below the surface of that evil, was the staggering presence of his power, that almost-limitless magic.

Something stirred awake in her, and it took her a few seconds to realize her own power was responding to the call of Mumm-Ra's, tracing lines of painful fire along her limbs. She sucked in a hoarse breath, stumbling and coming to an abrupt halt. Dijana, about to open the door they had reached, turned to stare at her.

"Don't tell me you're—"

"No…" Nyrris gasped, staring in shock and horror at her own trembling hands, "It's…it's my magic. It's awake. It's…_hungry_."

The dog-woman said nothing, but the fur on her shoulders rose sharply and she let out a low growl. Nyrris avoided her gaze, shivering and rubbing the gooseflesh on her arms. Was this going to happen every time she was near this undead fiend? Why…_why_ was her magic so hungry? She knew Mumm-Ra had told her the function of warlock power was parasitic, but it almost felt like a living thing that wanted to feed on all the magical energy she could sense. There was a low, rumbling scrape of stone on stone as the door opened, and that cold voice spoke in Nyrris's mind again, its mental touch as chilling as the vamparic sensation of her magic.

_Considering how things went last time, I shouldn't be so generous. But I can be forgiving, given the current state of affairs. Let us try this again, shall we, my dear? Enter._

And this time, despite her better instincts warning her to flee, Nyrris braced herself and entered the dark chamber.

* * *

><p>Lion-O's mood had become grim and harsh since fleeing the temple, beating down on himself as he was for not saving their friend. Still, it was a measure of his strength and resolve that he did his best not to take it out on the others. But then, perhaps that could be attributed to the fact even Tygra was careful not to trod on his brother's toes about the matter.<p>

Until about a day later, when he finally said something.

The unusual silence that had befallen them in their haste to escape was broken as the young king slammed his fist against the chamber wall of the Thundertank. No one said a thing as Panthro brought them to a slow stop, and all eyes turned to Lion-O, waiting for him to speak.

"I failed." He growled, more to himself than anyone else. "What kind of a king doesn't protect his own people? I _failed_ to save her. And now Nyrris is trapped in that…that place. For all we know, she might not even be alive! And it's my fault!"

"Lion-O, none of us blame you for that." Cheetara spoke up.

"You did what you could," Tygra added solemnly, "You saved all of us. And I think that's what Nyrris wanted. She stayed to distract Mumm-Ra, so you could escape."

"Don't let her sacrifice be in vain, Lion-O," Razor said firmly.

"I don't want her sacrifice to be in vain!" He snapped, "I want her to be safe!"

No one said a thing to that, and for several seconds, the only sound any of them heard was the timid mewling of Snarf and Kewi. Lion-O was breathing hard, trying to calm himself down, to put his anger at his own failure back in its place. He clenched and unclenched his fists several times, breathing deep, letting the rage and pain flow out of him slowly.

"I'm sorry…" He finally said. "But she's…as much my family now as the rest of you. And it kills me that I…that we couldn't save her."

"Be at ease," Kuncia said softly, "Nyrris is still alive."

"She is?" The twins blurted out, looking at the snow leopard in astonishment. Everyone turned to her, staring with wide eyes, and Lion-O took a step closer.

"How?" He croaked, his voice cracking from the strain of holding back relieved tears, "How do you know?"

"Magic," Panthro guessed immediately.

"Panthro, this is serious!" Cheetara scolded him.

"I'm _being_ serious," the veteran insisted, giving Kuncia a pointed look, "I'm saying you put a spell on something or whatever that Nyrris has with her. That's how you know."

At this, the corner of the snow leopard's mouth twisted upward in the telltale curve of a mischievous smile. "It's as refreshing as the first snowfall, you being able to catch on so quickly," she remarked lightly, causing a blush to creep up Panthro's neck, "Yes, you're right on-target. A few days ago, I gave most of the girls some hair-rings, similar to the one on my headband."

"I don't have one." Jess'ica said in a grumpy voice, prompting a chilly stare from the older woman.

"As I recall, I offered you one," Kuncia answered coolly, "And you refused."

The black-and-silver tabby fell silent, glaring from her corner, and Lion-O spared her a quick glance before looking at Kuncia with a sudden realization.

"The rings were enchanted, weren't they?" He asked, looking around as Cheetara, Wilykit and Cougaress all pulled out small, identical rings, looking at them in surprise.

"Correct," Kuncia said with an approving nod, "A simple spell, but effective. It allows me to keep track of the ring-bearers, and it responds to their body heat. If Nyrris…well, if she weren't alive, my connection to the magic in her ring would grow cold. But let me assure you, Lion-O, she still has her ring, and she's very much alive."

"How do you know for sure it's her?" He challenged. "How do you know someone didn't take the ring off her?"

She frowned at that, pursing her lips. "Only someone with greater magical power than my own would be able to take the ring from her. Otherwise, it would reappear in her possession in seconds." She said hesitantly. "Of course, Mumm-Ra's power would snuff my own in moments if _he_ took it, but I still would have felt a jolt in the connection. And trust me, Lion-O, the magic in my connection with Nyrris's ring has remained steady since I gave it to her."

He fell silent, biting his lower lip. His fear that Mumm-Ra could have easily taken the ring and altered the enchantment without Kuncia's noticing still remained, but his worries were eased for the most part. He had a great deal of trust and faith in the mage, and knew better than to question or challenge her prowess with magic. Slowly, he nodded and relaxed, allowing himself some hope.

"Then there's still a chance we can go and save her." He said.

"Not right away!" Tygra protested. "Look, Lion-O, I'm all for saving Nyrris too, believe me, I am! But we have to beat Mumm-Ra to that blue stone. If my guess is correct, he'll be angrier than ever, and that means he's going to stop at nothing to get that stone before we do."

"I don't like that…but you've got a point, Tygra." He agreed. "We need to get that stone, and soon."

The others began to offer him smiles, hesitant at first, but brightening when he grinned at them.

But in the next second, they were interrupted by a loud, sharp pinging sound, followed by the screeching grate of metal being scratched. They all jumped, looking about wildly, before turning to Panthro, whose eyes went wide with horror.

"Oh, Thundera! NOT MY TANK!"

He rushed to the upper controls, looking out the windshield for a sign of what was hitting them. Lion-O, Tygra, Cheetara, and Razor rushed up to join him. But on glancing out of the glass, they found nothing. Only miles and miles of sand stretched before them, with no signs of life to be found. Had they just imagined that, then? But no…they had all reacted. That wasn't a hallucination. Had they hit some sharp rocks?

"Maybe it was nothing…?" Cheetara said warily.

"No, that was something," Razor insisted, "And my gut tells me it wasn't a very nice something, either."

"Whatever it was," Panthro growled, a deep rumble building in his massive chest, "If it scratched my paint job, it's _dead_."

With the press of a button, the back door of the tank opened, and one by one the cats ran outside, ready to face the mysterious new attacker, ready to face Mumm-Ra's army. But what they found wasn't what they were expecting.

Their attackers were of average height, with an indeterminable build, garbed as they were in flowing cloth that billowed as they moved. Even with their arms and legs exposed, huge spikes rose out of their armor, nearly camouflaging their weapons. The spiked armor even engulfed their long tails, which swayed back and forth like rudders on a boat, and poked out of the cowls that enfolded their heads. They moved with astonishing speed and grace, bounding a good distance away from the tank, light-footed and limber. They watched the cats warily, but they made no move to attack; surprisingly enough, all but one of them put away their weapons, and waited silently.

"Let me at 'em," Panthro growled as he came lumbering out of the tank, "If they hurt my baby…"

Kuncia shushed him, placing a hand against his chest and gesturing for him to look at the strange desert-clad people. The others all looked to Lion-O, waiting for a signal, and he watched the odd figures as they observed him. Finally, he took a step forward, placing a fist against his chest, and addressed them.

"I am Lion-O, Lord of the Thundercats. We are just trying to travel through this place quickly and quietly. Who are you, and why do you attack us?"

At the mention of his name, the strange people began to stir excitedly, whispering to one another through their veiled cowls, and the only one left holding a weapon lowered it, stepping forward and removing the cowl as they spoke.

"I am Salariss, First Spear among the Hidden Blades."

The cats watched in astonishment, their mouths falling open as the speaker revealed her face, sand-colored scales accentuating her bright blue eyes. She was a lizard, but she hardly looked like any lizards they had seen before, and her spikes weren't a part of any armor; they were sharp horns of bone that emerged from her body.

"And the Hidden Blades have no desire to fight you, Lord of the Thundercats. We offer you our regret and apologies," Salariss continued to speak as the rest of her band of horned lizards lowered their cowls, "We mistook your machine of war for one of that deathless-demon's."

"Pah!" Jess'ica spat, startling them all as she strode forward, anger seeping out of every motion as she drew her sword, "Why should we listen to a lizard? For all we know, you're in league with Mumm-Ra, and you're here to throw us off our guard."

The horned ridges of Salariss's brow contracted sharply as she glared at the black-and-silver cat.

"Is that a challenge?" She demanded, drawing a wicked twin to the scimitar she still held in her hand.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Lion-O said, getting in between the two women, "No one's challenging anyone to anything!"

"But Lion-O—!"

"I mean it, Jess'ica! The least we can do is hear them out!"

She scowled, sheathing her sword and taking a few steps back, muttering under her breath, and he turned to face Salariss, whose calm posture was only broken by the fierce look in her large, furious eyes. She studied him for a second, then gave a nod of approval.

"The Hidden Blades offer you our gratitude, young king."

"Yeah, you're welcome," He said slowly, "But Jess does bring up a good point. We've only met lizards that were in service to Mumm-Ra, by choice or through bad luck. Please, if there's any proof you can offer us that you're against him and this isn't some sort of trick…"

"He is cautious, and right to be, Salariss!" One of the other horned lizards spoke up, and it was with another jolt of surprise that they realized all of these lizards were _female_. Lion-O stared, eyes wide. He had never seen female warriors among the lizard army. He didn't know they even could fight.

"There is little proof we can offer," Salariss said slowly, "Beyond the hospitality of our people, and our word."

"Right, because your word is pristine." Jess'ica snorted.

"THEY SCRATCHED MY TANK!" Panthro roared.

"The Hidden Blades never break a vow!" Salariss snapped angrily. "Our word is our honor, and honor is life!"

"_Du vlenorar loccinar hsvas ka no ra-ken_." The other lizard women intoned gravely, inclining their heads. " 'Those without honor, die without names.'"

A chill ran down Lion-O's spine, and he looked at them all before locking gazes with Salariss, who stared back in silence. It was like she was charging the air between them, weighing any possible response against him, and her eyes were colder than the winter storms of Conscientia, harsh and judgmental. But there was something else in her gaze. Somewhere buried beneath that cold, harsh judgment, there was a warrior, a warrior to whom her word was everything. Her _honor_ was everything, he realized.

_Those without honor, die without names._

And suddenly, he knew what he had to do.

"Then we will humbly accept the hospitality of your people, Salariss. And I apologize deeply if you felt we have questioned your honor." He replied. He felt the eyes of the others as they snapped onto his back, almost overwhelming him with waves of confusion. A second later, Tygra's hand closed over his shoulder.

"Lion-O…are you sure this is safe?" He asked, and Salariss caught his eye with her tempestuous gaze. For another long second, there was silence as the elder prince searched the lizard woman's eyes, then he too, relaxed. With a dip and bow of the head, he murmured a low apology, and Salariss's mouth turned up a little in a small smile.

"Then the Hidden Blades will escort you to our home, and we extend the welcome of Shashara." She said in a resonating voice, and as one, she and her fellow warriors raised their weapons high, holding the edges of each blade toward the tip of their snouts, as though splitting their faces in two, their faces solemn in their salute. Lion-O glanced back, relieved to see the others were starting to relax…

Until his eye fell on Jess'ica, whose arms were crossed stubbornly as she shook her head, still glaring at the lizard women.

"Sorry, but I don't trust them." She said to him, not sounding sorry at all. He took a quick glance back at the Hidden Blades, not surprised to find their nostrils starting to flare in indignation, and turned back to her, frowning.

"Jess…"

She shook her head again and gave a sharp whistle, and Tibaroan, her pack beast, came charging up to meet her. Without a word, she mounted his saddle and began strapping everything in place, preparing to leave.

"Look, you don't have to leave—" he began, but she threw him a long-suffering look and made small tugs on the reins, trying to keep her animal calm.

"Yes, I do," she replied, "I'm sorry to leave, Lion-O, but I would never trust a lizard with my life. Not even that one slave. Besides…I have to try to find my family and make sure they're alright."

He fell silent, unable to think of anything else to say. Her mind was set, and he wasn't about to change it any time soon, as infuriating as her decision was. They had just lost Nyrris; The last thing they needed to be doing was splitting up over something like this, even if it was just one person rebelling against his decision. Still…he could sense Tygra nearby, and he felt somewhat buoyed by his brother's presence. At least the majority of their little rag-tag family was sticking together.

"Do what you feel you have to." He told her, "But just be careful."

"Don't worry about me, Lion-O." She said, finally cracking a smile. "I have a feeling we'll meet again someday."

She gave a sharp tug on the reins, and with a rear of his hind legs, Tibaroan broke into a full-on run, taking Jess'ica with him. The Thundercats watched them go in silence, the horned lizard women nearby, and waited until both cat and pack beast had vanished in the distance, swallowed by the endless sand. Lion-O turned to the Hidden Blades, lowering his head slightly in apology.

"I'm sorry about—"

"No need to apologize." Said one of the warrior-maidens. "We don't expect most outsiders to trust us."

"Let her go." Salariss added. "Had she come along, she would have made a fool of herself before the people of our home with that temper, and destroyed her own honor."

The other lizard-women hissed sharply, and they all quickly raised their left hands, crooking two fingers above their foreheads and murmuring "_du vlenorar loccinar hsvas ka no ra-ken_" under their breath. The cats stared at them openly, surprised both at the accusation, as well as how seriously they took this whole 'honor' business. But a moment later, Salariss turned and smiled at them.

"Come! The Seats of Wisdom will be most intrigued to meet you."

"Where is this place, this…" Cheetara asked slowly, waiting to hear the name again.

"Shashara." Another lizard-woman said brightly, giving a small salute with the head of her glaive. "It is near, but you would never find it on your own."

As if this were the greatest joke told, the warrior-maidens all began giggling among themselves, and Panthro, Tygra, Razor, and Lion-O exchanged looks.

"The outsiders may be able to see with healthy eyes," said a third woman, "But the desert has a way of blinding even the deathless-demon to the presence of Shashara."

"Look, this is all well and fine," Panthro said impatiently, "But will we be able to hide my tank there, too?"

Once again, the lizard women erupted into a round of giggles.

"Do you intend to arrive at Shashara in that war machine?" The second asked.

"We don't go anywhere without my tank!" He said firmly.

"Very well," Salariss said with a wicked grin, "Ride in your machine. But can it keep up with us?"

And before Panthro could breathe a word about the virtuous speed of his beloved Thundertank, the Hidden Blades bounced on the soles of their feet, spun 'round, and _ran_, kicking up spinning clouds of dust as they practically flew over the sand.

"Oh, those show-offs!" Panthro yelped, "Alright, everyone! Haul your backsides back in! My tank is NOT losing to a bunch of girls!"

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><p><strong>AN: Again, hoping you liked this chapter, as well as the introduction to Salariss and the Hidden Blades. You'll get to see more of the horned lizard society in the next chapter. (Hey, if my friend an create Conscientia and the snow leopard society that broke off from the main branch of the cats, why can't I make an Arabian Nights-inspired city of horned lizards who discarded the ways of their cousins long ago?) Also. This is the last chapter with Jess'ica. I know a lot of you liked her, (and quite a few of you hated her,) but the fact of the matter was that I was just giving her a cameo to help boost interest for her creator, who is considering doing her own fanfic. Plus, I hate the idea of having her in any longer, because she'd butt heads with Salariss, which would ruin a lot of the subplots, and I don't want that. So it's bye-bye, Jess'ica! Anyhow, done rambling. Again, R&R please!**


	14. Chapter 13: Shashara

**A/N: Once again, sorry about the delays. I really need to get back to work on this story at a regular pace. Unfortunately, I doubt that'll happen until after my wedding in February. **Please R&R, and remember: credit for all fancharacters used is given to the proper parties in the copy of this chapter in my deviantArt gallery!****

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><p><span>Chapter 13: Shashara<span>

The lizard women of the Hidden Blades led them to an endless stretch of sand dunes, and bade the cats follow them into the heart of dunes, where lay the concealed entrance to Shashara. At the base of the largest among the dunes they stopped, and one of the warriors bearing a spear drove her weapon deep into the sands, twisting the shaft counter-clockwise as she did so. From within the walls of the tank, the cats watched as the sand shook and parted, revealing a towering door that sank into the ground, opening to the interior of a cave that led inside the huge dune.

"That's…that's impossible!" Tygra exclaimed. "There's no way they could live inside that mountain of sand! It would collapse on them!"

"And there's no way that technology could exist outside bedtime stories," Lion-O said dryly, "Come on, Tygra. Are you really _that _surprised?"

"Are you really that unfazed?" His brother shot back.

"Alright, both of you stop bickering." Razor jumped in testily. "So they live under a mountain of sand. They're _desert lizards_. I'm sure they've found a way to adapt, and I'm sure we won't die when we go inside."

Both princes fell silent, unable to look the older cat in the eye, and after a moment, Razor turned away and went to tend to Cougaress, who was looking paler than usual, and perhaps a touch queasy. Lion-O and Tygra glanced up to see Razor wrapping an arm around his young wife's shoulders, speaking in a low, gentle voice, his expression softening. Tygra shot his younger brother an uneasy look.

"He's just worried about Cougaress being sick this morning, that's all," He said, though he hardly seemed convinced of that fact himself. Lion-O, on the other hand, thought his brother might be on to something.

"Come to think of it, Tygra…Cougaress has been sick the past couple of days." He whispered, voice colored with worry. "Maybe the heat of the Dead Plains and this desert are having an effect on her."

"Think we should tell Cheetara?"

"Does she know any clerical spells that would help?"

"I…you know…I don't know."

"Alright, everyone!" Panthro suddenly bellowed from his driver's seat. "Brace yourselves! It looks like things are going to get a bit bumpy!"

They immediately complied, taking seats and hanging on tight as the tank crawled forward through the opening. Panthro fiddled with the controls as the dark tunnel walls began to swallow them up, and abruptly the front exterior lights came on. Lion-O and Tygra got back out of their seats, almost immediately losing their footing as the massive vehicle bounced and rolled slowly along, and they clambered up to the cockpit to join Panthro, staring out the windows at the illuminated path. Their escort band continued to move in front of them at a brisk pace, but the Hidden Blades no longer ran; They took long-legged strides with their heads held high and their weapons stowed, Salariss in the lead. The tunnel went on for the better part of a mile, bouncing the tank along in an agonizing slowness, but before long, they came to a gradual turn, and a soft, faint, orange glow from up ahead lit the path. The mouth of the tunnel opened abruptly, and the princes let out a shared gasp.

"By Queen Edith's spear!" Panthro swore in awe.

They were in a vast cavern the size of a mountain, hollowed out and worn down to a perfect smoothness, and throughout it, as though growing like an enormous tree from the earth, was a sprawling city. All the buildings appeared to be made of the same kind of blasted, sun-baked brick, quite possibly a combination clay and white sand, and despite the roughness of them, there was a haunting elegance and beauty to the city. Huge basins were set in hollows surrounded by deep trenches all through the city, and in these basins were shallow pools of oil that burned as giant lamps. Panthro had to park the tank presently, as most of the roads that had been made between the expansive buildings were far too narrow for its bulk. And everywhere they looked, there were horned lizards.

There were children, running and playing in the streets. There were men, their spike-horns much longer and larger than the women's dressed in flowing robes, talking with one another, yelling at children, trading large baskets of good, and various other surprising chores. And the women patrolled the streets in groups, all dressed in the same strange armor-clothing as the Hidden Blades and adorned with various weapons, heads held high, and they moved and carried themselves with the proud bearing of veteran warriors. Lion-O couldn't help but feel a strange sense of admiration and childlike wonder, and he looked back at the others over his shoulder.

"You guys have got to get up here and see this!" He said with a grin. Outside, the horned lizards were pausing to stare openly at the arrival of the Thundertank, and other patrols of women rushed forward to greet and speak with the Hidden Blades. For a brief moment, one of the women conversed with Salariss, the two gesturing animatedly, and within a few more moments, the young female lizard turned and looked up at the tank's windshield, waving for them to come and join her. Lion-O reached over to the control panel, hitting the switch for the doors as Panthro turned the tank off, and he raced outside, eager to speak with more of the lizards, the others close behind him. As he approached, the young lizard women all watched him with peculiar half-smiles, and Salariss motioned toward him as she addressed one of the older lizard women.

"Bodza," she said, "May I introduce Lion-O, the young king of the Thundercats, upon whom fortune and the sun smile?"

The warrior called Bodza looked to him, and he inclined his head respectfully toward her.

"Ma'am." He said. Bodza did not immediately respond but continued to study him with sharp amber eyes. He was reminded quite forcefully of a nanny or governess inspecting a cub for dirt after a washing. Finally, she gave an approving nod, and a slow, warm smile spread over her face.

"Fortune and the sun," She spoke, her voice as warm and rich as honey cake, "Do indeed smile upon you Lion-O, and upon your companions."

"I don't know about that." He said with a nervous chuckle. 'We've had a pretty rough time for a while now."

The assembled older lizard women chuckled softly as well, but it was gentle, and confident. They were not mocking him, laughing at his expense or anything of the sort; theirs was the kind of laugh Claudus had made whenever the prince had doubted himself in any way as a cub.

"Come, walk with us!" Bodza declared at once. "We shall take you to the Seats of Wisdom. They will doubtless wish to speak to you, and you to them."

Thus the Thundercats followed the two bands of lizard women warriors through Shashara, descending the slopes to the lower part of the city. Everywhere they walked the horned lizards stopped whatever they had been doing to come and watch the cats. Initially, Lion-O and Tygra exchanged a few concerned whispers, worried that the inhabitants would prove hostile, but they soon discovered it was a pointless concern. None of the sand-colored reptiles regarded them with any sort of emotion beyond polite curiosity, and before long, the cats were watching them back. Razor and Panthro were wary, which was to be expected, but the Wily twins kept looking around in excited awe, and Kuncia had her journal out, quill pen dancing across its pages as she rapidly took down notes.

"Our people are a curiosity to you." One of the Hidden Blades remarked, sounding pleasantly amazed. "This is refreshing to see. There are legends among our ancestry of the cruelty of cats toward other animals."

The words were a barb in Lion-O's chest, however innocently they were spoken. He swallowed hard, averting his eyes to the ground as they walked.

"Unfortunately," he said softly, "The legends? They're probably very true. I believe my ancestor, Leo, wanted peace between the animals of Third Earth…but I cannot speak for any of my other ancestors or the cat race. And now that cruelty has cost us more than we can fathom."

"There is wisdom in your words." Bodza spoke abruptly as they walked down a wide, main road. "That is why the sun smiles upon you. But I would save your words for the Seats of Wisdom, Lord Lion-O. Let them hear you, and allow yourself to hear them in return."

"Bodza." Kuncia spoke up from behind Lion-O, clearly eager to ask about something, and he relaxed, relieved to have the subject changed. "What does your band call itself? Salariss and her companions are the Hidden Blades. Are you so named?"

"Indeed!" The older woman said at once, delighted. "We are the Crimson Talons, the sister-mothers to the Hidden Blades."

"Sister-mothers?" WilyKit pulled a face, sounding perplexed as she and her brother studied Bodza. "What does _that _mean?"

"You would refer to us as something like aunts to the Hidden Blades, commonly." Another Crimson Talon clarified.

"Then why not just call yourselves their aunts?" WilyKat demanded, and Kuncia leaned forward behind him, enthused to hear the answer as well.

"Because it isn't tradition." Salariss spoke up, her tone delicate. An odd hush fell over the horned lizards, and the cats looked at one another, sensing they'd hit on a sore subject. Lion-O glanced to the others, pleading that they would find a new topic to speak of, and the cats fervently examined their surroundings, trying to find something to remark on. Somehow to no one's surprise, Panthro was the one to speak up.

"What's with that table?" He asked, pointing a mechanical finger off to the side. Everyone followed his gaze to see one of the longest, largest tables anyone could ever dream of. It stood waist-high, made from a beautiful white stone, and was the length of the Thunderan palace courtyard, almost a full mile.

"It's beautiful!" Cougaress gasped.

"What is it for?" Cheetara asked, looking to Bodza. The lizard woman began to preen with pride as she gazed upon the impressive stone.

"That table was given to us as a gift many years ago," she explained, glancing briefly in Lion-O and Tygra's direction, "By a very wise, very brave king. Ever since, we have used it for the great holiday feasts and celebrations, for important discussions and debates among our people, and for strategy meetings in times of war. And if your arrival brings a brightening of the sun to the eyes of the Seats of Wisdom, then you shall dine there tonight."

They continued their march once again, following the length of the stone table, and Lion-O glanced to Tygra and Cheetara.

"Did you catch that?" He whispered.

"How couldn't we?" Tygra replied, frowning.

"Lion-O," Cheetara murmured, "Do you think the king Bodza mentioned could be one of your ancestors?"

"After that look she gave me, I'm not sure how he _couldn't _have been one of my ancestors." He answered.

"Unless it was one of mine." Tygra added irritably.

A pair of rough hands shot out of nowhere, pinching both princes' ears sharply, making them stifle yelps of pain.

"What did I say to the both of you about bickering?" Razor hissed. "Knock. It. Off. You're both better than that."

His sharp nails released them amid the sounds of the Hidden Blades trying not to giggle, and both their faces burned bright red in shame. They remained quiet as both patrols led them to a gigantic building that was open on all sides, where one could easily walk between the many colummns and into the inner chamber. Their large party ascended the stone steps and entered an atrium, where the floors were made of marble, two blazing basins of fire stood twoard the opposite walls, and the ceiling rose half a mile above them. While the Thundercats stared in awe, the horned lizards kept moving forward, to where a large group of male horned lizards sat in a crescent formation on raised stone chairs.

"So those are the Seats of Wisdom." Panthro said, eyes going wide.

"How fascinating!" Kuncia breathed, writing even faster than before. As they approached the stone chairs, the seated lizards paused in their discussion to look at the newcomers in surprise. Bodza murmured to the other women in a language the cats couldn't understand, then Salariss approached the male lizards, drew her scimitars, and raised them in a salute.

"May the sun be brightened in your eyes, blessed Seats of Wisdom!" She began in a resonating voice, "I am Salariss, First Spear of the Hidden Blades, and with me I bring what I feel to be a serendipitous arrival. An hour foregone, my spear-sisters and I came upon a large metal machine, and out of instinct, reacted as though we had been set upon by agents of the deathless-demon."

The horned lizards seated in the chairs said nothing, but their expressions hardened and they tensed visibly. Lion-O couldn't blame them; they practically lived under constant threat of Mumm-Ra discovering them. They had a right to be apprehensive. His thoughts briefly returned to Nyrris, trapped, left behind in that hellish pyramid.

_By Thundera, she'd better not be harmed_.

"But when this machine opened, we were met not with soldiers of that forsaken army, but cats." Salariss continued, and the large spines of the male lizards appeared to prick up slightly, as though curious. A low murmur started among their number as Salariss spoke again. "And lo, who should be leading them but the heir of the Thunderan throne himself!"

That was Lion-O's cue. He stepped away from the crowd and approached the Seats of Wisdom, taking a closer look at the lizard men. Much to his surprise, their age range was huge, from a few younger than he was to a couple that looked as old as Jaga had been. They all wore robes of sun-bleached orange that draped over their lithe forms, broken only by the spiny horns that protruded through the fabric, and oddly enough, they each held small cups of tea in their claws. They paused for but a second on seeing him, then began murmuring almost feverishly, an excited undertone in their voices.

"Sword of Atlanna!" One of the youngest gasped, nudging the older lizard seated next to him. "Elder! Elder! It is _him_!"

"Be at ease." The older lizard whispered.

"Ahh...hello, um...blessed Seats of Wisdom," Lion-O began hesitantly, "As Salariss said, I...I am Lion-O, the Lord of Thundera. And these are my closest friends and allies, the Thundercats. I am honored to meet you."

"It is on fortune's gracious wind you were brought to us, young kind." Said the lizard in the center seat, the lines in his scaly face setting him close to Panthro in age. "Now speak, for we would hear your story."

And Lion-O told them everything; Grune's betrayal, the fall of Thundera, Mumm-Ra's army on the move. He told of meeting the fish people and the Petalars and finding Panthro. Their discovery of the lost Tower of Omens and the mystical book particularly seemed to have all the lizards anxious, but they made no move to interrupt, and Lion-O went on. He struggled here and there at times, but the other cats would jump in and help when he had difficulty remembering something correctly. Finally, they got to the end, to the present time, and Lion-O only hesisted, on the verge of choking on the words, when he spoke of Nyrris being trapped in Mumm-Ra's temple. At last, the hall fell completely silent, save for the crackling of flames in the basins. All the cats waited with drawn breath as the male lizards contemplated silently and sipped at their tea, saying not a word but exchanging many glances.

"The sun has watched you on your long and harsh journey, Lion-O." One of the eldest lizards said. "We apologize and offer our sympathies for all you have lost. And we are sorry to hear of your trapped friend; were it within our power, we would help you save her."

He tensed in irritation; what was the old lizard saying? Surely the Hidden Blades or the Crimson Talons had the capability to help rescue Nyrris! Yet here were the leaders of the horned lizard city essentially, albeit politely, refusing to offer aid!

"Do not begrudge us, though," said another lizard, shifting in his seat and speaking softly, "We do not count you among our enemies."

"When the time is right," the young male who'd whispered earlier spoke in a high-pitched, eager voice, "Shashara will march onto the field of battle behind your banner!"

Many of the cats did a double-take.

"Excuse me?" Lion-O asked, thrown for a loop.

"You do not know, but that is hardly a surprise," intoned the lizard in the center, "But a long time ago, we were visited by one of your ancestors."

"One of...my ancestors?"

"Rithlio, the Azhure Ghost," the young male spoke up again, "One of the Thunderan kings of the past. He was said to wear a diadem and cape of deepest blue, and his mane was so long that it had to be tied in a woven braid that fell to his knees."

"Rithlio..." Cheetara muttered, "Why does that name sound so familiar...?"

Lion-O also struggled to recall where he'd heard the name before. Claudus had had him study his ancestry several times as a cub, but the child prince had always been more interested in stories and fairy tales, thus forgetting his lessons. He cursed himself for not remembering.

"Rithlio," the center male repeated, "Is probably best remembered in your histories as the king who commanded the clerical order to hide one of your most powerful artifacts in a place called the Tower of Omens."

A collective gasp rose among them, but the Seats of Wisdom took no notice, and went on with the telling of the story.

"Our territory had once stretched as far as the edge of the jungle, to the borderlands between that stood between that thriving green life and this sandy waste. As the clerics searched for this Tower of Omens, they passed through the borderlands, and had met with some of our warriors. Our histories become confused then, on the details of what transpired between these Thunderan clerics and our warriors, but their ways soon parted, and it was then that the horned lizards began to pull our territory borders further in.

"But then, some few months shortly after the encounter with the clerics, our people were approached by King Rithlio himself. Jaga, the head of his clerics had spoken of our people to him, and Rithlio wanted to meet us. He said it was a delight to speak with any lizards on peaceful terms, and for a brief ten days he conferred with the Seatas of Wisdom. Our people and the Azhure Ghost came to an understanding of one another, and Rithlio had his finest stonemasons make for us the Great Table you passed on your way here, as a sign of the peace they had agreed upon."

"If you were to see the reliefs carved into the table," Salariss said, leaning in closer to the cats, "There are images of Rithlio speaking to our greatest warrior, Atlanna."

"One of the stories," said another among the Seats of Wisdom, "Tells of something Rithlio discussed with Atlanna. He feared the death-less demon would one day rise again, with a thirst for the rule of all Third Earth. He said our people must wait for his heir, a young king with an open mind, true of heart, who would see the wisdom of alliances between all animals. He would be brought to us on fortune's divine wind, and prove himself the heir of the Azhure Ghost."

Lion-O thought hard, realizing the path set before him just got a good deal tougher. From the sound of the kind of cat his ancestor had been, he had some big armor to fill! But what if he couldn't? Something told him he didn't want to find out how the horned lizards would react to that. He looked the speaker in the eye, set his jaw, and spoke.

"How can I prove I am Rithlio's heir?"

The Seats of Wisdom glanced between one another, exchanging perplexed looks, when the horned lizard in the farthest left seat smiled nastily.

"Show us the Book of Omens." He answered in a smugly triumphant tone.

"Show you the book? Why?" Razor demanded.

"If this Lion-O is the heir," the same lizard drawled, "Then he would have the Book of Omens in his possession. It is, after all, one of hte keys to defeating the death-less one, is it not? You claim to have it in your possession, but how do we know you speak truly to us?"

"Feluca has a point." One of the other male lizards said with a grim nod. "Show us the Book."

Lion-O nodded solemnly, conceding there was no other way to pass this test. He turned and looked for the Wily twins.

"Kit, Kat-"

"Way ahead of you, Lion-O!" Kat said with a grin, whipping the Book of Omens out from behind his back.

"You _could _have said something _sooner_." Kit added.

Lion-O frowned, but took the precious artifact without a word. It was disturbing really, how good those two were at pilfering things. He would have to get Kuncia on their case for that. He looked back to the Seats of Wisdom, clutched the book tightly, and lifted it for all to see. The color drained from Feluca's face as he worked his mouth soundlessly, and the others rose from their stone chairs, surging forward for a better look.

"Sword of Atlanna!" The oldest lizard croaked in a scratchy voice. "It is just as the stories said!"

"It's fantastic!" Another breathed excitedly.

"Is this proof enough for you?" Lion-O asked. The lizard men looked at him, then at one another, and then collectively, they each folded their hands and bent at the waist into a low bow, making the Hidden Blades break out in a gasp.

"Welcome, descendant of the Azhure Ghost. Fortune smiles upon you, and so do we."

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><p>The Thundercats perched on a high road cut into the floor of the massive cave, watching curiously as horned lizards bustled about on the lower plateau, preparing a feast for the evening's celebration. Kuncia spoke at length with some of the women from the Crimson Talons, Panthro and the Wily twins hovering about her as she took notes in her journal. Tygra, Cheetara, Razor, and Cougaress watched the lizards below, discussing their favorite foods to pass the time, and Snarf and Kewi flopped around on their backs, enjoying attention from a few of the Hidden Blades girls. Only Lion-O appeared to be unhappy, standing a couple feet away from his peers with his arms crossed, brooding as he watched the horned lizards below. The others had tried engaging him in conversation once or twice but he had kept his replies crisp and short, and they gave up. Finally, it was Salariss who got him to open up.<p>

"The sun has been dark in your eyes since the Seats of Wisdom accepted you for who you are. Does it anger you that our people offer our alliance?" She asked, drawing everyone's attention. Lion-O studied her for a couple minutes before answering, his tone even and his speech slow, measuring each word carefully.

"I've been worried since we left Mumm-Ra's temple," he began, slowly uncrossing his arms to let them swing at his sides, "For Nyrris. For all of us. For our mission. And...I'm sorry if I've been letting that affect how I treat any of you. But I can't just ignore my worry."

"...if I may be so bold," Salariss said, "Your worry for others and for the sake of doing what is right is something to be commended. It means you will be a wise and good king to your people."

"But?"

"But you must remember to temper your worry and anxious feelings with fairness when you address others. Else you risk angering or confusing the people you speak with, and that sows dissent."

"You sound like you're speaking from experience." Lion-O remarked, raising his fiery eyebrows, and Salariss's thin lips turned up in a grim smile.

"There is a certain amount of learning a new leader must do to become a respected First Spear." She replied, making a sweeping gesture towards the other Hidden Blades, who all gave scattered nods.

_She _is _speaking from experience_, Lion-O said to himself, and he relaxed, his respect for Salariss growing tenfold. Slowly he smiled, a true, warm smile, and looked again to all of them, Thundercats and horned lizards alike.

"Right. I'm sorry, everyone; I shouldn't have been so short-tempered with you all." He said, and this time, he meant it. They all began to return his smile, radiating quiet forgiveness, when Cougaress suddenly doubled over, covering her mouth with one hand and her stomach with the other, making retching sounds. Lion-O recoiled in shock, only to remember a second later the white cat had been feeling ill earlier.

"Cougaress?" He said, taking a hesitant step closer.

"Honey, are you alright?" Razor asked worriedly, torn between putting an arm around his young wife and giving her some space. But before he could make up his mind, Salariss and many of the other Hidden Blades surrounded Cougaress, gently examining her and speaking in their rapidfire, hissing language. In seconds, Salariss's eyes shot open wide, and she barked for Bodza, who rushed over and started to examine the cat also. After a tense moment, she spoke in their language as well, letting out a deep, warm chuckle.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Razor asked desperately as Bodza helped Cougaress to sit upright again, and without warning, the Hidden Blades and the Crimson Talons all began to giggle like little girls. The cats looked on in surprise, and Bodza chuckled again.

"Wrong?" She echoed, shaking her horned head slowly. "There is nothing wrong. Your wife is afflicted with morning sickness because she's carrying a child."

That took a moment to sink in.

"I'm what?" Cougaress gasped.

"A cub? We're going to have a cub?" Razor said hoarsely.

Lion-O and Tygra's jaws dropped, and Cheetara and Kuncia rushed over to hug both Razor and Cougaress, huge grins on their faces that sent the lizard women into giggle-fits again.

"A kitten?!" The twins exclaimed, rushing over to join them as Razor hugged Cougaress tenderly, tears of joy in his eyes.

"She's pregnant?" The two princes blurted out, which only made the Hidden Blades giggle more. Panthro reached over and tugged on the ears of both princes, an annoyed grimace on his face.

"Alright, pull it together you two! Don't act like a couple of buffoons with weak stomachs; women get pregnant all the time, so there's no need to freak out," he huffed, "Look, even the kids are staying cool about it."

"Can you let us teach the baby all our tricks and skills?" WilyKat demanded, bouncing on the soles of his feet.

"Can we help you pick out a name?" WilyKit squealed, tail lashing the air in excitement.

"Will you let us baby-sit?!" The two yelled in tandem, eyes lighting up. It was at that moment Lion-O and Tygra shot the veteran general withering, humorless looks, and Panthro to form an argument that wouldn't quite escape his mouth. Finally, Cougaress managed a warm, happy chuckle, and she and Razor pulled the twins into a tight hug, before encouraging the others to join in.

"Oh!" Kuncia exclaimed abruptly, ever the practical cat, "I just realized...Cougaress, you'll need to find a midwife to help you deliver the cub!"

A pause grew among them, and Razor frowned.

"You've got a point; it'll be a tremendous help if we have a midwife. But where in the world are we going to find someone at last minute to help deliver a child while we're still here in the middle of the desert?" He remarked.

This time, the horned lizard women roared and howled with laughter, leaning on one another for support, slapping their knees as they doubled over, and wiping tears from their eyes.

"You refresh our spirits like water drunk by a wilting plant!" Bodza gasped between her laughter. "Do you think that just because we are warriors, we cannot act as all women do? Our people may hatch, but we are all trained from a young age in the art of birthing-sisters to aid any guests to our city."

"Oh." Many of the cats blushed, and Kuncia quickly made more notes in her journal.

"But if any of you were to be Cougaress's midwife," Cheetara pointed out, "That means you'd have to-"

"Accompany you?" One of the Crimson Talons said slyly, a knowing smile stretching over her sandy face.

"That would be preferable." Tygra remarked. "I doubt Cougaress or Razor wish to stay here, no offense."

Several whispers flew among the warriors, when Salariss abruptly raised one of her scimitars.

"I could do it." She said, and when everyone jumped in surprise, her cheeks flushed a burnt-orange color. "I-I've had the training and this would be good practice."

"Even if it puts you in danger?" Cougaress asked.

"I welcome danger, and so I offer you my hands." Salariss said, blue eyes passing to each of the Thundercats, before she added self-consciously, "That is...if you wish it."

Cougaress beamed. "I would be happy to have you as a midwife, Salariss. Lord Lion-O?" She prompted.

Lion-O looked from her to the horned lizard woman. He liked Salariss; she was brave, honorable, and he trusted her. He would enjoy having her along, and if she helped Cougaress, then she would be worth the addition to their odd little crew.

He was sure his father would have never allowed it. He doubted whether or not Claudus would have even agreeed to meet and speak with these lizards peacefully. But another image rose in his mind, almost as vividly as if he had called on the Sword of Omens' power to show it to him. In his vision, he perceived another king, a lion who looked so wild you could hold no delusions that he was dangerous. A dark blue diadem adorned his head, barely visible beneath his wild red mane, which was so long it was pulled back in a braid that reached his knees. Blue eyes twinkling with mischief, he had a handsome, square jaw and a neatly trimmed beard and mustache, and draped over his shoulders was a magnificent cloak of deepest azure.

The ghost's eyes met Lion-O's, then closed in a pleased smile as the king nodded once. The vision came and vanished in a breath and Lion-O knew what to do.

_Perhaps Father wouldn't have approved_, he thought, _But Rithlio is my ancestor, too. And maybe i am the heir of the Azhure Ghost after all._

He smiled broadly and extended a hand to her for a shake.

"It's an honor to have you with us, Salariss."

* * *

><p>Mumm-Ra's red eyes flicked up and followed the young ocelot as she entered the throne room, approaching him cautiously. He could practically breathe in the fear rolling off her, but she put on a decent air of composure. And from behind the door, even when she had woken in her chambers, he could feel her magic, like a ghostly echo of discordant music, still reaching out with its parasitic claws, hungry for power to feed upon. He smiled in silent amusement; every mortal could be enticed into depravity. The cat would resist him for the time being, but he would inevitably coax the full extent of her abilities to the surface, and then her corruption would follow shortly.<p>

After all, no warlock had ever found a method short of suicide to avoid such corruption.

"You summoned me?" She said dryly.

"And you still have a back-sassing mouth." He huffed in irritation. "I'll have to remedy that before long."

"I am aquiver with anticipation, sir." She remarked in a decent imitation of his voice. It was just amusing enough he ignored the cheek of it and beckoned her closer.

"Come, let us begin to test the reach of your power."

He spoke in his rasping, death-rattle of of a voice, raising a clawed hand above his head, crooking his bony fingers over the shimmering surface of the scrying ring. He slowly moved his hand in small rotations, glancing over to see Nyrris hesitantly approaching, eyes on the lavender surface, rubbing the gooseflesh on her arms, expression suspicious. He looked back to the ring, visualizing the young king of the Thundercats as he had several times already.

Lion-O's face suddenly popped into view, and alongside him, the loudmouth tiger and the panther warrior. The three seemed to be deep in conversation, thought where they were, he had no inkling of. He sensed Nyrris flinching at the sight of her companions, and the smile crept back onto his face.

"There," he hissed, pointing at the lion prince, "Reach for Lion-O's life force!"

"W-what?!" She stuttered.

"With your power," he responded, "Reach out and seize hold of his life force."

"I-I am not going to-"

"Did I say to kill him?" He hissed, red eyes flashing with frustration. "Grab his life force. Form a claw with your power and seize it as you would the flesh of an arm."

He didn't expect she would be completely able to give her power form, not with the minimal command she had over it, but the more he pushed her, the faster she would learn. She glared at him once, furious, then shut her eyes in concentration, her nails digging into her arms. The aura of her warlock's magic shimmered briefly, blurring the air around her with a soft luminescence. It hovered in place for a moment, then tentatively began to snake toward the scrying pool. But a foot above the flickering image of the other cats, the thread of her power came to a halt and swung toward him, like a predator scenting wounded prey.

Mumm-Ra scowled in annoyance as Nyrris's eyes opened in shock, and with barely a though, he whipped his own power like a flail, ensnaring the end of her wandering thread. A strange tremor erupted in his magic and traveled the lines of the powerful nexus back into his body. He gave a small hiss of surprise. The sensation was alien and yet vaguely familiar, like the comforting weight of the heart-stopping dagger he always carried with him. As Nyrris went rigid, flashes of emotions passed through him in an eye's blink.

Fear, anger, confusion...and intrigued curiosity.

Then it was gone, and the two auras separated with a harsh wrenching that had Mumm-Ra stagger backward several feet and drove Nyrris to her knees. He took several rattling breaths in and out, staring at the gypsy cat. The reaction between their opposing magic, though significantly less violent, was almost identical to what had happened before, when he had forced her to her knees. And most irritating was the fact he had no notion what it meant.

He put it out of his mind for the moment as she looked back up at him, eyes wide.

"I suspected as much." He murmured. "So far, your magic's parasitic properties only target those nearest you."

She let out a relieved sigh, relaxing slightly.

"But not to worry."

She looked back up in alarm at him as he spread his lips in a wide smile, revealing his sharp, fang-like teeth.

"We have plenty of opportunities to practice on that." He said, extending a hand to her. "Follow me. I wish to test this again."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: A few things for readers to note...**

****1. Panthro saying "By Queen Edith's Spear!"** This is important, because since I've strayed from the canon continuity after the debut of Kaynar and Addicus, I also do not support the "canon" Queen of Thundera, Leona. I'm sorry to her fans, but Leona, pretty though she is, was NOT what I was expecting for a lioness queen. In the wild, in a true lion pride, lionesses are hunters and fighters, and I had been hoping for a pretty but tough warrior queen...not a hollow-brained piece of eye candy who suddenly stops loving her surrogate son the same way just because she's pregnant. I'm sorry, but that's just poor writing to pander to the Tygra fans. I support deviantArtist ~piku-chan's concept OC, Queen Edith. Piku-chan developed her long before Queen Leona appeared, and I fell in love with Edith the second I saw her. She is, and forever will be, MY headcanon Queen of Thundera.**

****2. Rithlio the Azhure Ghost (or, The Ghost In Azhure.)** This is referencing a character who appears briefly in a flashback sequence in episode 6, "Journey to the Tower of Omens." He only appears once, he's obviously NOT a young Claudus (they don't look a thing alike,) and he's never named. You just know that he's a king of Thundera. So I've dubbed him "Rithlio", for **Ri**chard **Th**e **Lio**nheart, because that's who I'm reminded of when I look at him. I feel he is awesome enough in his brief appearance that he deserves a name, a legend, and a history. So I'm trying to incorporate him into Mortal Bonds, and if enough people like what I do with him, I'm going to give him a mini-fic.**


	15. Chapter 14: Prisoners In The Ruins

**A/N: Geez, it only took me forever to finish this chapter! *collapses* Good lord, and it's a long one, too! Needless to say, I don't feel much of a need to explain anything this time around. Though I will admit, I feel like all the perspective and time jumps are a little choppy in the beginning of each one, but at least I managed to fit in everything I wanted to. If you can make it through this obscenely long chapter, please R&R.**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 14: Prisoners In The Ruins<span>

Dijana had gone to rejoin the generals after escorting Nyrris to the chamber, and was only mildy surprised to arrive in the lower court and find all four generals in the presence of the snake cultists. The cobras were cold, stubborn, pragmatic, aloof, and utterly self-absorbed, and thus rarely left their hideaways in the black pyramid to converse with anyone less than Mumm-Ra. The fact they were there at all set her nerves on edge and the fur rising on her hackles. A quick glance explained some of it, though; Nagendra, the high priest among the snakes, was brandishing something at General Grune and practically spitting venom in his rage, his hood flared out to its full length, and most of the cobras were gathered behind him as though awaiting an order to strike. Dijana silently wished it wouldn't come to that point; she had no love for the fanatic snakes, but she liked Grune well enough for a cat, and she wasn't sure even he could withstand snake venom.

Movement off to the side caught her eye, and she saw Axis dutifully continuing to train, working through basic warm-up exercises and empty-hand combat drills. She struggled to avoid smiling at the sight, and as she started to look away, she saw one of the snakes watching the little kitten with an intense gaze. Slythia, the priestess who was never without her elegant bladed fan. Dijana loosed a low growl as she walked closer. When it came to the cultists, she trusted Slythia least of all, and something about the priestess's sudden interest in the saber-tooth cub bothered her.

"Priestess." She said coolly, and Slythia twisted upon her coiled lower body, yellow eyes going wide.

"Yesss? Hm, it isss Dijana, isn't it?"

"I'm flattered."

"Sssuch a sssour tone!" The snake said in a honeyed tone of false concern. "Are you having a bad day?"

"Just finished escorting our 'esteemed guest' to her audience with Mumm-Ra."

The cobra's eyes flashed dangerously when Dijana mentioned his name, and her fan flicked back and forth slightly in a clear show of irritation.

"No one may underssstand the whimsss of Hisss Dark Majesssty," she responded with a lofty tone, her gaze returning to Axis, "The gypsssy cat isss truly being ssshown a great deal of honor."

Dijana ignored her hissing, glancing back to the young saber-tooth going through a series of punching drills, his little face tense with concentration.

"Hmm. So tell me, do you always find training drills this fascinating?"

The bladed fan snapped shut with a sharp click, and for a good long minute, Slythia didn't reply. Finally her fan spread open again, about halfway, and she relaxed slightly.

"Young Axisss isss a peculiarity," she answered, "And I am _most _interesssted in ssseeing how he growsss among the army of Hisss Dark Majesssty."

"Yeah?" Dijana snorted. "So am I, snake."

The black slits that served as Slythia's pupils flicked onto her, and the cobra's expression became positively condescending. "Really now? And what would a _dog_ know about the rearing of a _cat_?" She quipped.

"Considering I used to live among them?" She shot back. "I'd say I know a lot more than you."

A long moment followed, tension charging the air between them, and it was all the dhole woman could do not to reach for her quarterstaff and start a fight. Before long, she could sense some of the other snakes and the generals staring, and it was only when Axis paused in his drills to watch that the moment passed.

"May the best woman win." Slythia said coolly.

"Don't worry, I will."

"Ladies, is there a problem?" Came the nonchalant voice of Slithe, who was approaching them calmly and making a hurried attempt to preen himself at the sight of the cobra woman. Dijana rolled her eyes, wishing someone would gag her, and Slythia's face behind her fan suggested she wished much the same.

"Hardly, general." The snake answered, "I wasss just about to leave."

Slithe shot Dijana a poisonous glare as Slythia left to rejoin the other cultists, as though the priestess's disinterest in him was completely _her_ fault, and she shrugged indifferently. When it came to females, idiots like the lizard general would never learn. She let out a ragged breath, exasperated, and looked over at Axis again, surprised he was looking back at her.

"Dijana, are you okay?" He asked, a skeptical expression on his face. "That was kinda weird."

She opend her mouth to answer him-

And the room spun. She stumbled and lurched, trying to maintain her balance as sudden waves of vertigo assaulted her from nowhere. Her stomach gnawed at her as though suffering from starvation and her strength left her body as quickly as a Thunderan cleric could move. Her vision swam as she became light-headed, and finally she collapsed to her knees, catching herself with her hands. She was soon aware the others nearby, namely the generals and the snakes, were suffering from the same strange vertigo she was, and Axis was staring in frightened awe.

Then, as quickly as it had come, the sense of vertigo was gone. Dijana's body flushed in a cold sweat as she shivered, veins pulsing in her legs and arms, which felt too sore to move. She sucked in several shuddering breaths as though drowning, and glanced to the others, all of whom looked perplexed or irritated, or a good combination of the two.

"Augh, what happened?" Addicus growled.

"It felt like being eaten alive!" Kaynar remarked with a wild cackle, as though he couldn't imagine anything funnier.

"What _was_ that?" Slithe groaned. Dijana scowled, recalling what Nyrris had said before entering the dark chamber.

_"It's…it's my magic. It's awake. It's…_hungry_."_

"I think I know." She muttered under her breath.

* * *

><p>Nyrris lost her balance with a hoarse gasp as she sagged against the wall for support. Her body felt charged with buzzing, incredible energy, and yet she was lethargic and her limbs were weak.<p>

"Intriguing," Mumm-Ra remarked, red eyes fixed on the sight of his recovering generals, "Physical distance _does_ limit your power, but you can drain multiple victims at once."

"F-feel sick." She murmured, trying to push her weight back up, and she jumped when his eyes met hers.

"Over-extending one's power can have that effect." He declared haltingly, as though theorizing about her abilities out loud. "That can prove a danger to you until you've had sufficient practice in controlling your magic."

"You're starting to sound like Kuncia. Heh, you're even starting to sound like my aunt."

"Don't insult me!" He snapped coolly.

"Insult you?" She asked, arching an eyebrow. "All I said was-"

"You related me to a mage and that filthy shaman in the same breath."

"But I thought you respec-wait a minute..." She trailed off, staring at him suspiciously, "How did you know my aunt is a shaman?"

Mumm-Ra abruptly stood up, his back completely straight, and she realized for the first time that he was shockingly tall when he didn't hunch over. He looked at her in turn, blinking his eyes once, as though surprised. But Nyrris shook off the effect cast by those red eyes and continued.

"When you broke the seal on my forehead, you kept talking about a shaman," she said quietly, "But I never told you that shaman was my aunt."

"I read your mind." He answered so quickly and unconvincingly she arched her eyebrow again and planted her hands on her hips. Had she actually caught him off his guard?

"Oh you did, did you?"

"Are you questioning me?"

She rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Not entirely. Don't see what you'd be hoping to accomplish by that, though. I don't think men could ever understand how women's minds work by reading them," she remarked calmly, gesturing down at the generals below the overhanging catwalk, "I mean, _clearly_ even if he could read a woman's mind, General Slithe is beyond hope."

A brief second of silence followed her words, and on its heels there was a low, easy chuckle. Nyrris stared at Mumm-Ra openly, surprised. That was nothing like the heartless cackle she'd heard from him before. This laugh sounded more relaxed, almost natural, even. And then it was gone, and Mumm-Ra's breath subsided into its normal rattling.

"Indeed." He agreed softly. "Slithe is rather hopeless in many ways."

"That's harsh..." Nyrris said softly. She had just been joking, but to think he actually would talk that way about any of his generals...

Then again, he was Mumm-Ra. He was devoid of compassion, wasn't he?

"Be that as it may," he replied, "It is the truth. And if you are so stung by it, you had best learn quickly that I suffer no crippling emotions coming from those under my rule."

"And _that_ is _cruel_..." she whispered, biting her lower lip.

"I prefer the term 'nefarious.'" He responded coolly, sweeping past her and heading back in the direction of his main hall, back to the scrying pool and his sarcophagus. Nyrris stared at his back, covered in the tattered, careworn red cloak, face creasing in confusion as she followed slowly. Had he just made a _joke_ or was he being serious? She wasn't sure at all, and felt more confused than ever. Thinking back to what had happened earlier made it worse. When her magic had resisted her hold on it and he had whipped it into place like a disobediant child, she had been overwhelmed by a sudden surge between the magical contact, and several emotions independent of her own had flown through her mind. Irritation, impatience, shock, intrigue, a slight twinge of fear...and something she half-thought she had imagined. Loneliness.

Surely she'd just imagined that. If her guess was accurate and she'd gotten a glimpse into Mumm-Ra's emotions, there was no way he was plagued by loneliness. He was Mumm-Ra. Why would he be lonely? After all, everyone knew he wanted nothing more than to conquer all of Third Earth and bring every race among the animals to its knees in submission to him. He had nothing to hide, and certainly he didn't feel loneliness, right?

The question continued to nag at the back of Nyrris's mind as she slowly trotted after him into the dark halls of the black pyramid.

* * *

><p>The Thundercats did not remain in Shashara long after the feast held in honor of the "heir of the Azhure Ghost." Lion-O, Tygra, Razor, and Panthro had conferred briefly with the Seats of Wisdom and Bodza before leaving, determining that the horned lizards would have to amass a number of their people willing to fight among the army Lion-O planned to build against Mumm-Ra's forces. When the people of Shashara were ready to fight alongside the king of the Thundercats, they would send word to Lion-O with a messenger declaring so.<p>

"Why do I still not feel too confident about this?" Tygra remarked.

"Because there's still a lot that could go wrong." Cheetara spoke up.

"I know that." Lion-O huffed. "We're just going to have to have faith in the horned lizards. After all, Salariss has already joined us."

He gave a nod in the warrior lizard's direction, and she nodded back with a grim smile. There was something reassuring in Salariss's confidence and eager desire to assist them, and despite her fierce appearance, her voice and personality were soothing and inspiring. She hovered constantly around Cougaress, clearly taking her responsibilities as a midwife seriously from the start, but she twitched ever-so-slightly when addressed, Lion-O realized, as thought awaiting the chance to jump to help where she could. And her only objection was to traveling inside the tank, which hardly felt natural to her. She willingly submitted to the idea though, once the Book of Omens had pinpointed something new and far in the distance, and Panthro pointed out the tank would leave Salariss in the dust if she insisted on running on foot.

The thought snapped Lion-O back to reality, and he called up to the main cockpit, where Panthro and Kuncia were discussing their current destination and the surrounding landscape.

"Panthro! Kuncia! Where exactly are we headed, again?" He asked. When no immediate answer came back to him, he ran up the stairs to them, hoping nothing too bad was developing. He found them examining the holographic map projected by the Book of Omens and cross-checking it against something in a book Kuncia had brought with her. Lion-O leaned a little closer, glancing over Kuncia's shoulder to take a peek at the book. It appeared to contain a map of all the known areas of Third Earth, but before he could get a better look, she snapped the book shut and turned her scrutinizing blue eyes on him.

"You're not a cub, Lord Lion-O, and I would appreciate some courtesy," she said in a calm tone, "Please don't read over my shoulder."

"Sorry," He apologized immediately, taking a step back, "I'm just...anxious."

"We know, kid," Panthro said, not unkindly, "Just have some faith in us, alright?" And when Lion-O gave a nod, he continued, "It seems the book is leading us straight into the heart of the most blasted dense jungle on Third Earth."

"Jungle?" Lion-O parrotted, eyes going wide. "What in the name of Thundera is in the jungle? Is it the next stone?"

"Couldn't tell you," the general replied, "The Book of Omens isn't giving us a hint, it's just pointing in the general direction."

"Do we have any idea how long it will be before we reach this jungle?" He asked, spreading his hands helplessly. "I know we restocked supplies and rations at Shashara, but I'm concerned about making sure nothing happens in the meantime, especially with Cougaress in her condition."

"I hear you, kid. Don't worry, we should reach the borders of the jungle territory within a few days."

And so it was that within less than two days, the Thundertank and all those within found themselves at the borderland territory of the vast jungle, staring out of the window of the cockpit into a dense world of greenery and trees that rose to the heavens to form a dark canopy. Lion-O, Tygra, Razor and Panthro stepped outside of the tank, trying to place a solid judgment on the dangers the jungle might have to offer, and whether or not the tank would be able to withstand trekking through such territory.

"With all the adjustments the Berbils made," Tygra remarked, "We shouldn't have a problem plowing through most of it. All we might have to worry about is whether or not fallen trees or vegitation in the path will slow us down."

"We could clear it with the laser cannons." Razor pointed out.

"If we do that, we run the possibility of disrupting the balance of nature in this place." Lion-O pointed out calmly. "Something I learned from the elephants."

"Sounds like the best course of action right now is just to keep going forward, and if anything happens, we'll think of a solution when we hit it." Panthro said with a grunt, and after the four nodded consent, they went back inside the tank, the general hopping behind the controls once more. The others looked up at their return, and Cheetara and Kuncia approached them at once, looking concerned and skeptical.

"So what's the plan?" Cheetara asked, hovering near Tygra, though her eyes flicked to each of them in turn.

"We're going ahead for the time being." Lion-O answered, "Unless anyone has a better recommendation for a course of action...? We're open to almost anything right now."

"I can think of nothing better for cutting our way through all this thick greenery." Salariss remarked, rising from where she had been crouching at a widow, examining the outside. "Plants are particularly stubborn and resistant in some places, if the stories we've heard are true. The best we can hope for is to keep going ahead as far as we can until we run into something that refuses us passage."

"Salariss has a fair point, and I share her opinion." Kuncia said calmly, and the prince nodded to her, red hair swaying slightly.

"Anybody else have anything to add?" He asked once more and when no voices rose to meet him in response, he nodded to Panthro, who eased the tank forward. With a sense of lethargy, the Thundertank advanced in a slow, lumbering roar into the heart of the forest. Time soon became lost to them all, vanishing in the half-waking sense that pervaded the tank inside and out, and many of them soon became restless, something Kuncia referred to as a sort of "cabin fever." The hours wore on and on, and tense silence grew in the interval, itching at each of them like a rash just waiting to be scratched into irritated, bleeding pain.

No one had any notion how much time had passed, or how much closer they were to the destination marked by the Book of Omens, but at last something occurred that jarred the monotony of their passage. Panthro was half-asleep at the controls, when something stirred outside the tank in the underbrush. He jerked awake suddenly, bringing the vast machine to a grinding halt and jumping out of his seat, taking a quick look outside. Little sunlight reached the jungle floor through the thick overhead canopy, and there were shadows everywhere, playing tricks on his good eye.

"Panthro?" One of the kittens called up to him.

"What's wrong?" Razor asked, bounding up the stairs to the cockpit, followed quickly by the princes, alert and ready for battle as ever.

"Think I saw something, but I'm not sure," the general answered. "Cursed sunlight's playing tricks on my eye, what little of it there is."

They stood examining the foliage outside of the tank for several agonizing minutes, until a voice spoke up behind them.

"Perhaps it would be best if we went outside and got a better look?" Kuncia said calmly.

"That sounds like a fine plan." Cougaress said from the lower bunking levels, getting to her feet. Razor immediately spun on his heel, shaking his head.

"You're not going anywhere, Cougaress, not in your condition."

"Razor!" She snapped, planting her fists on her hips. "I'm not made of glass, and I'm not that far along in my pregnancy yet! Besides, Lord Lion-O and the rest of you could need my help!"

"Cougaress..." Lion-O said gently, struck by the white cat's astonishing dedication and loyalty to the mission. There she stood, pregnant and still suffering bouts of morning sickness, and yet, willing to fight on alongside them all. He glanced to Salariss, who hovered nearby her charge, and the horned lizard arched a brow at him, a smile turning up the corners of her angled mouth. He let out a sigh of defeat; they weren't about to win this argument any time soon.

"Well, someone's gotta stay with my tank!" Panthro protested, "I'm not about to let anything happen to it! It's the only method of transportation we've got right now."

"We'll stay with it!" Kit volunteered immediately, bouncing up onto the metal railing with an eager smile on her face. Kat groaned from somewhere below, clearly unhappy with his sister making them impromptu volunteers. Still, the twins had proven time and again an uncanny knack for tackling the most surprising odds...

"Very well," Lion-O said, raising his voice so they could all hear what he had to say, "We'll explore outside for a few minutes to see if we can't find Panthro's phantom, but nobody stray too far from the Thundertank. Kit and Kat will stay here and keep an eye on things inside."

Despite the expectant groan from Kat, they immediately made their way out of the tank, Lion-O taking point while Tygra vanished in a shimmer of light, and Cougaress strung her bow under the watchful eye of Salariss. They were assaulted by the sudden humidity, stifling and thick, very different from the dry heat of the desert near the black pyramid. A slight breeze whispered between the overgrown leaves, but it was hardly enough to keep them cool, and Lion-O could feel his body start to sweat within a few minutes of exploring. This didn't bode well; if the entire jungle was this humid, they would run short of water in a couple days. Not to mention the navigation was-

Something stirred in the underbrush, and a dark form darted across the path, vanishing once more into the trees. Immediately the cats tensed and Salariss let out a low hiss. It appeared Panthro's instincts were right on-target again. There was a tense pause, followed by the sound of a yelp piercing the air, and the same dark form was smacked back into view, the shimmering image of Tygra coming into view, lowering his fist and wearing a triumphant grin.

"Nice work, brother." Lion-O said with a smile and a nod as he approached the two. A moment's glance chilled his heart, but a second later it was swept away. The "ghost" was another monkey, but smaller in size than General Addicus, with darker fur and a long tail, clad in the careworn clothes of a highwayman. Lion-O frowned as he looked down at the monkian, who trembled and glanced up at him with bright, wide eyes as blue as the sky.

"P-p-please, don't kill me!" The monkian yelped, his words ending in a yowling screech that had the cats wincing. "Treekee did nothing wrong!"

"Treekee?" Lion-O repeated, "Is that your name? You can stand up. Just don't get any ideas about running off."

Immediately the highwayman scrambled to get to his feet, still shaking violetly and shuffling as though he wanted nothing more than to get away from Tygra.

"Y-yes, Treekee is this one's name," He mumbled, fidgeting and bowing repeatedly, "Please f-forgive me, master cat! W-was just curious, w-wanted to see your machine! N-not much t-t-tech here in the jungle! Birds hoard it all in their cities, they do. Nasty people, birds. Treekee just wanted a look."

The prince relaxed a moment, lowering the Sword of Omens, only vaguely aware of having raised it in the first place. Around him, he could sense the others relaxing, one by one, save for a few. He risked a quick glance over his shoulder, not surprised at all to find Panthro's nunchucks were still in his hands, nor that Salariss was scanning the trees with a scrutinizing eye. He couldn't blame them for being wary, but still, this monkian seemed genuinely afraid of them, and he hardly posed a threat. Quietly, he raised his left arm and sheathed the sword into the claw gauntlet, then spread his open hands.

"Why didn't you just come out and say so in the first place, Treekee? We wouldn't have harmed you." He said calmly, making the monkian's face pale slightly.

"We-well...thought about it...would have, but-"

"He's lying."

The cats looked up at the sharp remark, to find Salariss's gaze boring into the monkian as she drew her twin scimitars. Treekee took a step back, going paler.

"N-not lying! H-honest, just wanted a look-"

Salariss darted across the distance faster than Lion-O thought possible and slammed the monkian into the thick trunk of a tree, driving the flat of her arm against Treekee's throat to avoid impaling him.

"He's a lying, thieving bandit," she hissed, "And his partners are hidden in the trees. This is an ambush. Quite a clever strategy, but we won't fall for it. Call your men off, monkian."

"Salariss, what are you doing?!" Lion-O said with a gasp. Had the cabin fever driven her mad, or was this Treekee more of a threat than they realized? He watched her press harder against the shabbily-clad man, and he gasped for breath under the pressure of her arm, struggling to speak and shaking more violently than before.

"D-don't know what you're talking about...T-Treekee innocent..."

Salariss's eyes narrowed dangerously, and after several terrified heartbeats from them all, she lowered her arm, sheathing both her scimitars. Treekee panted, his shoulders relaxing as he rubbed at his throat, tail gently swaying back and forth.

"Th-thank you, Miss Lizard, very nice of-"

She lunged, the knife edges of her hands striking the sides of Treekee's throat with a loud, wet smack, and the monkian's eyes flew open wide as he made a strangled, choking sound. Salariss frowned as she hoisted him by the collar of his tattered shirt for the cats to see.

"Hear that?" She said in a low hiss. "That's the sound of your blood not reaching your thick brain. You'll be dead in moments if you don't call off your men."

The monkian bandit's eyes narrowed, and suddenly his countenance hardly resembled any shade of innocence as he snarled at her. "_Bitch_!" He spat, blood slowly beginning to trickle from his nose. There came loud rustling in the trees, followed by the unmistakable whooping of more monkeys, clearly agitated. Lion-O jumped, drawing the Sword of Omens, and the others whipped out their weapons, tensing and throwing up their guard. Only Salariss remained calm as she held Treekee into the air, staring him down as the blood vessels in his eyes threatened to rupture.

"Call them off." She ordered again. Treekee struggled against her grip wildly, gasping for air that he couldn't draw in. Finally, he started to go limp and let out a short, sharp whoop, and the monkeys in the trees reacted, throwing an assortment of various weapons to the ground with a resounding clatter. Salariss smiled triumphantly as she dropped the bandit and pinched both sides of his neck with more than a little unkindness. Treekee collapsed on his side, sucking in deep breaths as though he had just escaped drowning, and curled into a little ball, tail puffing out in agitation.

"Damn you..." he said in a hoarse voice, "How did you find out...?"

Slowly, the monkian bandits began to descend from their hiding places, roughly clad in clothes similar to that of their leader, and they rushed to him immediately, anxious to help him. Lion-O felt as though he were caught somewhere between irritation and pity; he was angry that they had been taken for fools and nearly fallen for the monkeys' trap, but on the other hand, they looked so bedraggled and poor, it was hard to be horribly angry at them. They had probably just been motivated to raid them because they had so little.

"Why?" Lion-O asked. "Why would you try to ambush us?"

Treekee was overcome with a fit of coughing, and every time he attempted to open his mouth to respond, his body was wracked with violent heaves. Finally, he simply flicked his hand at them in a rather rude gesture, and one of the other monkeys shook her head, turning to address the cats.

"Please, have mercy." She pleaded. "We don't have much; we were hoping to simply take your technology and be done with it. We wouldn't have killed any of you."

"You wouldn't have been able to," Salariss snapped coolly before any of them could speak, and she gestured toward Kuncia, whose eyebrows flew up in surprise, "We have with us one of the Lady Witch-Women of the Far North. If you had any intent to kill us, she would have read it, plucked from your minds like a ripe fruit, and she would have done away with you before you had a chance to open your sorry mouths. She can charm away your tails and curse off your fur and turn you into gibbering, stupid tree frogs, forever doomed to hop around uselessly and eat insects. You would be fools to stand against Lord Lion-O when he has such an ally at hand."

Lion-O glanced to Kuncia, who mouthed "Witch-Woman?" in silent confusion, but the horned lizard's bluff had done the trick; the monkian company paled and quaked where they stood, taking several frightened glances in Kuncia's direction and clutching one another in fear.

"Relax, all of you," Tygra said with a sigh, "We won't harm you if you're done with this ridiculous stunt."

"Treekee probably won't be able to raid anything for a while." The female bandit said gloomily, "And we don't raid without a leader."

"Guess it's back to Ritan, to tell him we failed." Another bandit muttered.

"Ritan?" Cheetara asked, "Who is Ritan?"

The monkeys exchanged several glances for a moment, the silence broken only by Treekee's continued gasping. Finally, the same female who'd spoke before answered.

"You picked a bad time to come to the jungle of Monkey City, cats." She said quietly. "Our people are at war."

"With whom?" Lion-O asked, fearing Mumm-Ra had already beaten them there.

"With ourselves." She answered.

* * *

><p>It was only a matter of hours before cats found themselves seated in the presence of Ritan, a burly monkey highwayman with an eyepatch, watching over a small, bustling hollow of monkian bandits that were fighting over their sparse meal. The muscular fellow leaned forward heavily, propping up his elbow to up his chin in his hand, and sorrow lined his young face, giving him the illusion of age he hadn't yet reached.<p>

"Chovani spoke true when she told you our people are at war." He said in a scratchy, weathered voice that was tinged with an unfamiliar accent. "We damn ourselves with our constant fighting and cowardice."

"Cowardice?" Razor prompted, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

"We're cowards by nature, the lot of us." Ritan said with an unhappy nod. "Our newest king is a violent sort, he is, and it's not sat quite right with any of us since he got on the throne. Things only got a little bit better when his brother, Addicus, vanished to hunt the birds in their high cities."

Lion-O gave another start, eyes widening. "Addicus?"

"Aye, Addicus," Ritan said with another grim nod, "He was the king's enforcer, right-hand man, and our people's feared judge. After he left to slake his damned appetite with those flying pests, we got a bit bolder. The king is hardly so threatening without Addicus at his side, so the few of us you see here, we staged a revolt."

"And?" Panthro prompted.

"And it did not at all go according to plan," the bandit said with a sigh, "We lost many of our number, including my nephews and niece. Chovani is the only remaining member of my family. We were driven out here, into hiding, and we've been sitting like cowards in our little hole ever since."

"Surely you cannot all be that cowardly?" Kuncia suggested in a gentle tone, "After all you have managed to begin a rebellion to free your people."

Ritan looked at them, a guilty expression entering his eye, and he tensed as he glanced to Lion-O before he said a word.

"No, we are cowards." He insisted. "The only reason there are still so many of the rebels here with me is because we have allowed other animals who have entered our domain to be the fodder for us."

"What do you mean?" Lion-O asked testily, clenching his fist within the gauntlet. He was starting to like the monkeys less and less by the second, and now, with this...

"The king often tries to find us, though he fails each time. But every now and then, other animals...other animals will come to the jungle...and they encounter us. And we have coerced most of them into going back to Monkey City in our stead, to try to reason with the King. We have not seen any of them since."

"That's disgusting!" Razor snapped, springing to his feet and clenching his fists. "You just let them play the sacrifice for you so you all can just continue to hide here without consequence? You _are _cowards! The worst kind!"

"Razor, please." Cougaress whispered, pulling at her husband's arm until he sat down next to her again. Ritan bore the accusation quietly, hanging his head in shame, and it was only with a great deal of effort that Lion-O refrained from a similar outburst himself.

"We are, that I will not deny."

"What sort of 'other animals', Ritan?" Tygra asked abruptly, and Lion-O glanced over just in time to catch his brother giving him a significant look. He gave the barest nod to show he understood, for he himself had a similar nagging suspicion.

"J-just other-"

"Cats, Ritan?" Lion-O demanded, leaning forward and letting the edge of a growl enter his voice. "Did you send cats to Monkey City?"

"...yes." He admitted wearily, posture sagging in defeat. "Just two, one once, and another recently. The latter wished to trade with us, but since we had nothing of value, she asked for directions to the city, and we willingly gave them to her, and told her she would want to address the king. That was roughly a month ago or so, and we have no idea what has become of her. The other cat...he fought with us for a time, hoping to find some lost treasure of the cat kings within the ruins of Monkey City. We don't think he ever did, but the king's forces captured him on the same day he was planning to leave the jungle for home."

_A lost treasure? _Lion-O thought, the wheels turning in his head. Could that be what the Book of Omens was pointing toward? He stored the thought away in his head for later, wanting to run it by Panthro and Kuncia to be sure. If any of them knew of a lost treasure of the line of kings, it would be those two.

"Is there any possibility either of them are still alive?" Cheetara asked, brow furrowing.

"Yes. It's not a great possibility, but the king prefers to execute prisoners when his brother is around to...assist. Since Lord Addicus's sojourn to the bird nation, he hasn't been seen, so it's entirely possible both of them are still alive." Ritan admitted before his face fell once more. "But they'd be kept in the dungeon levels of the ruins. And it would take a great force of many numbers to overwhelm the city's militia to break in there and rescue them."

"_Or_," Salariss finally spoke up from her long silence since attacking Treekee, a grim smile forming on her triangular face, "It can take less than a handful to sneak in there and free these prisoners."

They looked up at the warrior lizard in surprise, and Ritan's single eye widened in shock. Tygra, on the other hand, caught Salariss's eye and broke into a grin.

"You know, she's got a point," he said in a significant tone as he tossed his younger brother a look. Lion-O could feel their infectious grins working on him, and the corners of his mouth slowly began to turn up as well.

"I'm beginning to wonder what I would do without you guys." He said with a dry chuckle before returning his attention to the bandit leader. "Ritan, what are the chances one of you could lead us to the back door of these ruins?"

The monkian hesitated, sitting back sharply and stroking at his chin thoughtfully, warring emotions playing across his scarred face. At long last, he let out a heavy sigh, shoulders sagging once more, and rubbed his temples.

"It is the least we could do, after all the harm we've caused with our selfish cowardice." He said with a solemn nod. "Ask Chovani. If she says no, I'll accompany you myself, but she's a good girl, and she knows the ruins better than anyone."

"But if this is a stealth mission," Panthro pointed out, "Then what will happen to everyone?"

Lion-O tensed, glancing up at the hulking general, his mind racing. He had to go, and since the whole thing was originally Salariss's idea, it would be unfair to leave her out. And nobody beat his brother when it came to matters of stealth and enshroudment. But would the three of them be enough? It would help to have a fourth along, but Panthro's arms weren't exactly suited to this sort of mission.

"Everyone will wait in the Thundertank," he declared slowly, "On the outskirts of Monkey City, out of sight. If we run into trouble-no, when we're ready for you to come get us, we'll send up a signal."

"But if you plan on doing that, it's gotta be more than just three of you!"

"We'll take Kuncia." Lion-O said with a pointed nod at the snow leopard, who smiled warmly. Panthro immediately let out a grumble echoed by the whirring of the various machinations in his arms, which he crossed in grouchy defiance.

"If you ask me," He remarked, "I should be the fourth."

"Would you rather leave _me_ behind to drive the Thundertank?" Tygra asked, the picture of utter innocence. The only response they got was a paling face and an incoherent, strangled stutter.

* * *

><p>"We really appreciate your help, Chovani." Lion-O said softly as the petite monkian girl led them through the thick flora, gently pushing aside vines and leaves and flowers, leading them along what appeared to be a hidden, overgrown path.<p>

"Oh, you're welcome, Lord Lion-O," she answered absentmindedly, her tail curling and swaying gently behind her as she walked, "Thank _you_ for giving us a second chance. It was more than any of us could hope for, after the way we tried to attack you back there. That was far more than any of us deserved."

He half-expected Salariss to make a stinging response, but oddly enough, it was Kuncia who spoke up first.

"Chovani, how long have the people of Monkey City been at war?" She asked.

"Not sure," Chovani replied, glancing over her shoulder with large, sad eyes the color of caramel, "Sometimes it feels like it's been forever. It can't have been too many years, though, but I cannot say for sure. Less than ten, but more than six. That's the best I can tell you."

"Writing this down in your journal?" Tygra asked the snow leopard.

"Committing it to memory so I can record it later." She corrected. After several more agonizing moments of navigating the choked, invisible path, their monkian guide came to a halt, pointing just ahead of them. A low, thick stone structure rose out of the ground several yards ahead of them, crumbling and covered in creeping vines. The area beyond looked ruined and deserted, but something in Lion-O's instincts held him back, warning him against simply charging in carelessly.

"There's the closest entrance to the lower levels of the ruins," Chovani whispered, pointing with her fingers and tracing different paths through the maze-like structure beyond the low wall, "Hang closer to the east wall as you head for the door. There's more natural cover there, so you should encounter less difficulty getting down there."

"Thanks, Chovani." Lion-O said, giving her a solid nod and clapping a hand on her shoulder, and she gave a quick nod, curly hair bouncing around her large ears.

"Good luck to you," she replied, "All of you."

With that, she raced away into the trees, and the four of them turned to one another, exchanging furtive glances.

"This is it everyone. Tygra, I want you to lead."

"Got it."

"Salariss, could you bring up the rear?"

"Of course." She answered loftily.

"Then I'll follow behind Tygra, and Kuncia, you're behind me."

"Well enough," she responded, reaching out to tap Lion-O on the head and shoulders, "Hold still a moment."

Her magic passed over him like the trickle of a stream, making his limbs and neck tingle, as though they had half-fallen asleep. He gave a small shudder, nearly hopping in place, and shook his head.

"The spell will last for a while," she explained simply, "Whenever you sense danger, simply freeze on the spot and remain still. The spell will allow us to pass unnoticed. Still, I must warn you, it will come undone if you make too much of a din or hold eye contact with anyone we're trying to evade."

"Sounds like a nifty little spell," Tygra remarked with a grin, "Too bad it's no match for my skill."

"I'll accept that challenge, tiger-prince!" Salariss huffed. Within a few moments, they had finished preparing, and Tygra leapt over the low wall, immediately hanging to the east, and Lion-O followed suit, Kuncia and Salariss close on his heels. The second he hit the ground on the other side though, he realized why Chovani had warned them.

There were monkian guards, an entire patrol of them, toward the far west wall. Many were crowded around a low-burning campfire but at least three were up and about, moving and cautiously scanning the ruins. Lion-O wasn't sure what their vision was like in the dark, but the light from the canopy above indicated it was barely dusk, and he knew if they didn't move with utmost caution, they were dead meat.

"Kind of makes you appreciate being a cat." He whispered below his breath, slowly following his brother's careful footsteps, inching along the wall toward the door that cut deep into the ground.

Talking was a mistake. The closest guard immediately went rigid, then swung around and faced in their direction, sharp eyes examining the east wall as he raised his ax level with his chest. They froze in place, trying to quiet their breathing as best they could, but Lion-O felt his heart was pounding loud enough it didn't matter. They would be discovered anyway. But after a moment, the guard relaxed with a snort, shook his head, and continued on his way. Lion-O let out a quiet sigh, then resigned himself to silence. There was no way he was going to jeapordize this mission; there were at least two cats below depending on them, and he was going to free them, no matter what it took.

After what felt like hours passing in the span of several tense minutes, the four reached the doorway cut into the hill, and began their slow descent into the darker underground. Even with their exceptional vision in the dark, Lion-O worried they wouldn't be able to see a thing, but his fear was abated when they reached the end of the steep staircase and found lit torches mounted in brackets on the walls, waiting to be carried off.

"Nice of them to leave the light on for us," Tygra remarked, reaching for one of the torches. "So what now?"

"I guess we explore. " Lion-O said with a shrug. "Chovani didn't say where in the lower ruins the cats are being held."

"If I may?" Kuncia asked calmly, raising a hand. They glanced, puzzled, when sparks of ethereal energy flared and began to spin around her palm. The magic spun faster and faster in a circuit, until it lifted above her hand, and made a soft ball of gray fog that floated in place, spinning and shimmering with ethereal energy. With a small exhale, Kuncia prodded the hovering wisp, and it floated toward a right-hand corridor, letting off a faint luminescence, pausing and hovering in place as though waiting for them.

"It's a seeking spell," she explained quietly, "Hopefully it will lead us to our imprisoned bretheren. I haven't had time to truly fine-tune the schematics of the spell, so we'll just have to make do."

"Good enough," Lion-O declared, nodding toward the fog-wisp. "Let's go, we don't have much time."

Slowly the twirling ball of fog floated down the right-hand corridor, waiting in place every now and then when it got too far away from them. Before long, the magic wisp led them to another right turn, where the ruins were in even worse repair, and the ceiling was a lot lower than the previous hallway had been.

"I feel cramped in here..." Salariss remarked in a low hiss.

"I know that feeling," Tygra muttered, "Hey, how much farther, Kuncia? Your little magical friend better not be leading us down a dead end."

She glared, about to reprimand him, when Lion-O darted ahead of them a few strides, straining to listen.

"Shh! Do you hear that?"

The others fell silent and came to a halt, and as one, they listened. There, faintly somewhere ahead, there was a soft voice, murmuring words none of them could make out.

"Let's go!" Lion-O sighed, charging ahead of them. The others followed, perhaps a tad reluctantly, and the voice drew nearer and nearer as they followed the wisp down the corridor, until they came to a wider, open area full of several cells that were in disrepair. And then the voice fell silent. They looked around, keeping close together, scanning the cells.

"Hello?" The prince said in a low tone, glancing from cell to cell. Something stirred in one of the far, dark corners, and as it caught his eye, he watched a petite figure shuffle into view.

"Who are you?" She whispered in a scratchy, hoarse voice, staring out at them with frightened yellow-green eyes.

"Lion-O, look!" Kuncia exclaimed.

It was only because his mouth had failed him that he didn't remind the older woman he was already looking. The captive was definitely the female cat Ritan had mentioned, but she seemed vaguely familiar somehow. He wasn't sure why that was; she appeared to be one of the wildcat clan members, a lower ranking family than even the lynxes, and the various assortment of pouches and tools on her belt lended one to the notion she had grown up around technology. The prince couldn't remember ever meeting such a cat before, but still, there was something about her that nagged at his brain, like an important question he'd studied for one of Jaga's tests, but forgotten.

"Prince Lion-O?" She murmured, looking at him with a furrowed brow before her eyes flicked to his brother. "Prince Tygra?"

"We're going to get you out of here," he answered immediately, unsheathing the Sword of Omens as he eyed the bars of her cell. "Step back."

The wildcat immediately complied, backing up quickly and keeping her hands drawn close as Lion-O swung the sword, slicing through the iron bars as though they were made of thin paper. The thought reminded him briefly of his trial against Zig and the Wood Forgers, bringing a grim smile to his face. The bars fell away with a clatter that made him wince; he hadn't thought about how well the sound might carry in the empty ruins. However, the prisoner didn't seem to mind in the least

"Oh, thank you, my lord!" She exhaled, a weary smile coming over her face, turning up her cheeks. "You have no idea what this means to me! I feel like I'm coming out of the end of a long nightmare!"

Her words caused heat to flood his cheeks, and his heart lept into his throat a moment, fluttering a little.

"N-no problem, Miss...?"

"Kellas," she supplied. "My name is Kellas."

"Well as much as we would like to stick around for introductions," Tygra stepped in, tossing his younger brother a flat look, "We need to get you out of here."

Kellas turned her wide eyes on him, looking shocked. "Surely we can't just leave the old fellow here!"

"Old fellow?" Kuncia prompted.

"Over there!" The wildcat supplied, pointing to a cell farther down from hers. The four exchanged curious glances, then gestured for her to lead them. Kellas gave a sharp nod, then trotted down toward the cell, crooking her fingers for them to follow quickly. They sped up, unsurprised to find themselves looking into a cell where another cat, an older male, was slumped over, arms suspended in the air by hanging chains clamped around his wrists. Anger stung Lion-O's heart like a venomous fang. He was reminded briefly of Mumm-Ra, mocking them all, wearing Panthro's face and half-hanging by chains tied around the bell tree in Thundera, waiting to seal Claudus's fate. Then, the image of his father's grisly death was replaced by the grim countenance of Cazarak, bound in slave irons against his will.

"Watch yourselves," he murmured, swinging the sword in a delicate arc, slicing through the iron bars, cutting higher this time to allow himself entry into the cell. The cat in the chains stirred slightly, looking up with a glazed, glassy expression as Lion-O stepped inside. The prince bent, sitting on his knees to get a better look at the older cat. What he saw astonished him.

Long, lanky black hair shot through and peppered with streaks of gray framed a thin, gaunt face, colored by markings and patterns he had seen not too long ago. The cat's shirt had long been ripped away, but his leggings and pants remained, and they were made from a faded material that had once been bright. And those runemark spots were unmistakable; this was an ocelot, probably one of the same members of the gypsy caravan.

The cat shook his head, glancing up and blinking as though to clear his mind, and Lion-O gasped as he looked into a familiar pair of gray-blue eyes.

"Nyrris?" He blurted out.

The ocelot's eyes snapped wide open with a bright clarity that hadn't been present before.

"How do you know my daughter's name?" Rhys Ocelotti demanded in a low voice.


End file.
